OXFORD, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of students at Oxford High School, the Michigan school where four were killed in November, walked out Thursday and formed a ‘U’ on the football field to show support for students and families in Uvalde, Texas.

“We went through the same thing,” sophomore Andrew Sholtz told The Detroit News. “I lost a lot of friends. I thought it would be respectful to help other people through it,”

A gunman killed 19 children and two teachers this week at Robb Elementary School in Texas.

Oxford school officials knew a walkout was planned and worked to ensure students would be safe, spokeswoman Danielle Stublensky said.

She said it was part of a national effort by Students Demand Action, a group calling for changes in gun laws.

“As a community, our hearts are with Uvalde and we understand why some of our students chose to participate in the national walkout,” Stublensky said.

A 16-year-old male has been charged with murder in the Oxford school shooting. His parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter under a theory that they made a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and failed to respond to signs of mental distress.