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Two months ago, after the United States was hit with the tragedy of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., the country’s youth began uniting to fight for safer gun laws.

When Coppell High School sophomores Charlotte Vanyo and Nico Reyes attended March For Our Lives in Dallas last month, they were inspired to join the fight by organizing a CHS school walkout.

“We were inspired to see that so many kids had organized [March for Our Lives],” Reyes said. “We saw that there are kids taking action, and we wanted to be a part of the next generation of change.”

The walkout is planned for Friday from 10-10:30 a.m. on the track at Buddy Echols Field.

CHS Principal Dr. Nicole Jund and Coppell ISD Superintendent Brad Hunt have met with Vanyo and Reyes regarding the walkout, and have confirmed that students will not be punished for participating. The Coppell Police Department will also be present to ensure the event is safe.

The pair has gathered a team of about 30 students to organize the event and help spread the message, including a few graphic designers who have created flyers to raise awareness.

“I wanted to help with the walkout because I want to help everyone’s voices be heard,” CHS junior Ally Temple said. “It’s important to reform gun laws and make a change.”

One of the obstacles the pair has faced is the misconception many people have about the purpose of their walkout. Their purpose is not to ban guns completely, but to reform gun laws to create a safer environment. The walkout also falls on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, and will honor the victims of the massacre.

“We just want common sense gun reform,” Vanyo said. “I don’t think having guns is necessarily  a bad thing. I know people who are very responsible with guns that they own, but I don’t think people need a weapon like the AK-15 to protect themselves or use for hunting.”

Neither Vanyo nor Reyes have had personal experiences with gun violence, but that has not inhibited their passion for the issue.

“A lot of people start to change their minds about gun reform after they become victims,” Reyes said. “It’s important for those who haven’t been affected to have passion and seek change for those who have been affected.”

Gun control is a controversial topic, and the pair realizes not everyone will agree with their opinions. Their goal is not to force their views onto anyone else.

“A lot of people do not agree with me,” Vanyo said. “But being in a Republican state I’m pretty used to that, because I’m a pretty big Democrat. I’m open to having debates, as long as it’s kept respectful.”

Vanyo has been interested in politics all her life, largely because of the importance her family places on the topic. She is also the younger sister of Sidekick senior editor-in-chief Amelia Vanyo.

Organizing the walkout has given her the chance to act on her passion.

“It’s always been a really important thing for my family to know what’s happening in the world,” Vanyo said. “I wanted to be someone who organized and was a big part of the CHS walkout because it’s a really important thing to do. I’ve talked to my parents about [the walkout] a lot, and my sisters. They’ve been really supportive.”

Similarly, Reyes has also been interested in politics from a young age. His interest sparked in fourth grade with the judicial system, and has expanded since then.

“Politics, for me, is a way to help a large mass of people and make the world a better place, more equal place,” Reyes said. “I’ve had the dream of becoming president and running for Congress. A lot of the times it seemed to me like I would bring change as an adult, that it was something I would strive for once I got closer to being in those position. When I attended that march, I realized I don’t have to wait, there’s so much I can do now.”

Vanyo and Reyes encourage every student to join the walkout, even if they do not have a particular passion for the issue of gun violence, as participating is a good way to become more informed. The pair also wants to emphasize that participation would be 100 percent consequence-free.

“We’d like to see as many people as we can there,” Reyes said. “The main goal is to show at Coppell we care. We want to show people that anybody can help make a change, and hopefully begin to spread awareness for the people who are going to start voting in the next few years, to vote for politicians who can protect our people and represent what the nation wants.”