(MCT) — Despite demands from two Chicago police officers that they return to class, more than three dozen teenagers marched Monday to call attention to the gun violence that claimed the life of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton.

The march went from Pendleton's school, King College Prep, to Harsh Park, where the teen was killed last week. The teenagers who organized the rally and prayer vigil, mostly students at Lindblom Math and Science Academy and CICS Ralph Ellison, said they wanted to put a spotlight on the violence that threatens their lives.