From 9:00 to 9:40 on Wednesday, students could be found gathered in classrooms writing colorful and powerful messages on poster board. These rooms were filled with the noise of students gossiping and collaborating in anticipation of the day’s upcoming events. No, this was not an art class–this was the division-wide, scheduled sign-making period of the walkout day.

Students were instructed to go to these rooms after a brief introduction in the auditorium.  There, they were given the option–and plenty of supplies with which–to make signs of their own design.

As students arrived at the rooms, they were given little to no instruction. It was unclear to some students whether making posters was mandatory, and what to make posters about. “I wasn’t sure if not making posters was an option,” sophomore Christian Michaels said. “I also didn’t know if the posters were meant to be about remembering the victims of the Parkland shooting or about making change to gun control.”

Other students took action immediately, grabbing materials and outlining their posters. Some students dropped to the floor to take naps, socialize, or scroll through instagram. “I don’t think these signs will bring change,” sophomore Noah Rauschenberger said. “We need to take real action, and these posters are making people feel like they are making real change and like they don’t have to do anything else.”

Other students believed the posters were a great first step towards affecting change and attracting attention to the topic of safety in schools and better gun laws. “The signs were a great idea,” sophomore Senna Gardner said. “Signs are what people on the street and on social media see, and the short, catchy slogans will stick in people’s minds and keep bringing their attention to the movement.”

Most signs were colorful and concise. Every poster was unique in one way or another, using vibrant colors, symbols, or brutally honest content.

Gardner’s poster read “Lives Over Bribe$,” which put the spotlight on the politicians who take money from the NRA and then overlook deaths due to gun violence, according to Gardner.

Some students chose to take a different approach. Sophomore Max Antoniou made a humorous poster, using a picture of a bicep, or what he called “guns,” alongside a picture of a firearm. “It reads, ‘Guns not guns,’ if your replace the pictures with words,” Antoniou said. “Some people may think that humor is inappropriate in this subject, but I disagree. It makes people take a second look and makes the protest more available to the general public.”