Hours after hundreds of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High students wore black clothing to school, hundreds still gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor slain classmate Trayvon Martin.
Nearly 400 students and staff were joined Monday night at Dr. Krop by Miami-Dade Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho and board member Dr. Martin Karp, who spoke to students along with Krop Principal Dawn Baglos, teacher Michelle Kypress, and Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Charles Hurley, according to the school board.
Students read poetry, sang Ave Maria, and reflected on Martin's life, many still wearing black and others sporting hoodies, as Martin was when he died.
Martin, 17, was killed by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman in Sanford on February 26 while visiting his father. 28-year-old George Zimmerman called police to report the teen, who was returning home from a trip to a nearby convenience store, was "suspicious" as he walked through the gated neighborhood.
Despite being told by a dispatcher not to follow Martin, Zimmerman left his car and a confrontation ensued. Neighbors called 911 to report a scuffle, some cries for help, and gunshots. When police arrived, Zimmerman admitted shooting the unarmed teen but has neither been arrested nor charged.
Miami-Dade Schools said the candlelight vigil was held as an opportunity for his classmates to honor Trayvon's memory. Though students at high schools in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have held mass walk-outs from class in protest of Martin's death, his mother called the school board to encourage students to petition, pray, and attend rallies instead.
View images from the evening below, and click here for HuffPost's full coverage of the Trayvon Martin case.
