WASHINGTON—Area high school students were among the thousands in the nation’s capital to support the March for Life.

Students from Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta, Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, and Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell, traveled to Washington to join the sea of marchers on Jan. 22, many from high schools and colleges from around the country.

Some two dozen students from Holy Spirit Prep, an independent Catholic school, along with four faculty members, made the trip by bus.

“Our kids mention the culture of death. They want to be part of the culture of life,” said Heather Triggs, the director of student success, who chaperoned the event.

Students went to the Youth Rally, attending the Mass celebrated by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C. Later, they joined the throngs of people walking up Constitution Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol and in front of the Supreme Court.

Triggs said the students came away amazed at the number of young faces filling the street. She said this generation of young people seems dedicated to this issue for the long haul.

“They are a generation that can do something about it,” she said.

St. Pius X High School, an archdiocesan high school, was represented by nearly 30 students, members of the growing pro-life club.

Gayle Ohrenberger, campus ministry director, said students experienced the two days there as a pilgrimage and not a sightseeing trip. Students visited the Lincoln Memorial as a place to pray for an end to modern slavery, the Vietnam Wall memorial to pray for government leaders and the dignity of human life, and the Washington Monument to pray for freedom and the right to life, she said.

After participating in this annual trip for the past four years, Ohrenberger said she sees students transformed by the experience. They enjoy sharing experiences with other student leaders from across the country, she said.

Joining the march is an experience students don’t forget, especially the joyful atmosphere surrounding the events, she said.

“They feel supported, they feel surrounded, they feel energized,” said Ohrenberger.

“You see the desire to do good. They are ready to stand up and do that.”