The clock hit 10:15 a.m., and everyone knew it was time. The school erupted as students flooded the main hallway. Signs popped up above the crowd and noise filled the air as they began their march towards the auditorium doors.

When administrators secured the doors, students quickly found alternative routes. They rushed through multiple doors, one of which was blocked by snow. The obstacles slowed them, but did not stop them.

What began as a walkout quickly became a determined march.

Many marched out with a single goal, which was to make their voices heard and raise awareness.“The main issue is that kids don’t really have a voice in society until they have social status. If anything, doing these little protests isn’t for us to have a voice, but it’s to empower those that do” said one senior protester with Honduran roots. “So of course, raise awareness, but at the end of the day, you’re gonna see that it isn’t gonna delay (ICE deportations) until people start to care. Until people actually see that this is a problem, it’s not going to change.”

Certain SHS students took the initiative to organize the protest, and around 200 SHS students rallied behind them in an anti-ICE walk out on Monday, leaving class to protest immigration enforcement and raise awareness in their community.

Students marched from campus onto Banta Road. As they walked down the street, the protesters chanted and held signs while Perry Township police supervised.

They continued walking down nearby streets and jaywalked across Madison Avenue as the police controlled traffic. Phrases such as “no justice, no peace” filled in the air.

Reactions from drivers and bystanders on the road were mixed. Some people showed support from their cars while others gestured at the students and told them to “go back to school” as they recorded on their phones.

“Some people flipped us off. Some people yelled at us that we’re stupid,” the senior protester said. One group of firefighters, parked at a gas station, made comments at the protesters as they walked by.

“When your firefighters are telling you that you should stay in school instead of protesting for your rights, that’s scary,” the senior protester said.

Between cheers of encouragement and the negative comments, the students marched on.

Eventually, they walked down Epler Avenue and Shelby Street to Rise Learning Center where the students encountered Perry Township Superintendent Patrick Spray. He told students they made their point clear and should return to school. He encouraged those who refused to return to move on from Perry Township Schools property.

“The police are Perry police. They are not going with you anywhere else,” Spray told the protesters. “You made your point. We understand it. We saw it. We gotta get back with us doing our job. So my suggestion is if you’re going to stay outside and walk around, then please get off school property.”

Even after listening to his remarks, many students chose to continue the protest off district property. Several eventually ended up at a BP gas station 40 minutes away from school, which is where students gathered and discussed what the next move would be.

At the gas station, police informed students that there would be no official escort if they continued the walk. Despite the warning, about 30 students decided the walk wasn’t over. They wanted to go downtown.“This is something I really resonate with, and that’s exactly what I am going to do,” a junior participant said*. “I texted my mom and told her that I was going to continue walking.”*

Students continued towards downtown, stopping along the way so no one was left behind. As the miles passed, the crowd gradually became smaller. By the time they reached the Fountain Square area, the junior says they made sure undocumented students did not continue for their safety after hearing concerns that immigration enforcement had been alerted to the protest.

By the time students reached Monument Circle at about 3:45 p.m., roughly 15 students remained. After hours of walking in freezing temperatures, they stepped inside a nearby church to warm up and call for rides home. “We all gathered around and said a little prayer,” the junior participant said.

The student says reaching downtown brought a strong sense of accomplishment despite the distance and harsh weather.Participants said the motivation behind the walk was centered around representation and support. “It’s important for undocumented students to see that people care about them and advocate for them,” the participant said. “It’s not an issue they have to face alone.”

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