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Henry Sibley Students D.C. Bound For 'March For Our Lives' Rally

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Teenagers from across the country are heading to Washington D.C. this weekend. About a half-million people are expected at the March for Our Lives protest this Saturday.

The movement is led by survivors from the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead. They've led smaller walkouts leading up to this weekend demanding legislative action that will address gun violence and school safety.

A group of about 40 students from Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights will be there. They boarded a bus Thursday evening outside St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Sunfish Lake, bound for a whirlwind weekend that culminates with the March For Our lives on the streets of Washington. It will begin at noon Saturday right outside the Capitol.

A month ago, a graduate of Henry Sibley named Joe Campbell came up with the idea of raising money to send students to the march. He had a modest goal of $5,000.

Within a week, they flew by that goal - raising nearly $30,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

"It's incredible for me," senior Liam Hickey said. "Just seeing all of the recent headlines of violence in our schools, I'm honestly fed up and I'm really, really inspired, so happy that we got these donations."

The group, as well as the thousands of others marching, are demanding their lives and safety become a priority by telling lawmakers to figure out a way to stop gun violence and prevent mass shootings.

"I think that will be amazing feeling because for the first time that I can remember the youth of America have really come together on this issue," senior Austin Armon said. "And even though they don't have the power to vote, they can express their opinion and I think it's really cool and it's really impactful that they're all coming together to do this."

Prior to the march, they will get a pep talk from Sen. Amy Klobuchar and potentially a few more Minnesota lawmakers.

"Seeing the youth that are involved in this, like on a bigger scale, and knowing that I could be a part of that and actually use my voice to make a change and be a part of history was just an incredible thought, and I'm so lucky that I have the chance to be here," senior Natalie Nachtsheim said.

Over the course of this weekend WCCO's Jeff Wagner be covering many of activities not only for our newscast, but online. Keep an eye on WCCO's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for live updates.

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