Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, may look like any other American high school from the outside.

But former students who spent their teenage years in its hallways and classrooms will tell you there's something special about the school's culture.

So special, in fact, that when news spread last week that a gunman had killed 17 people at the school, thousands of alumni felt compelled to reach out to each other, springing into action to offer practical and emotional support to survivors and the local community.

But they refused to stop there; they've also banded together to echo current students' refrain of "Never Again," and have started using their professional experience and connections to hold politicians accountable and push for policies that would prevent another mass shooting.

"We've always felt this deep love of our community and our school," says Judith Danovitch, who graduated in 1996 and, soon after the shooting, created a closed Facebook group to connect and mobilize alumni. A separate website points people to fundraising and organizing events and activities across the country.

The school's alumni have stepped up in countless ways since the shooting. They've provided food to family members of hospitalized victims. They've reached out to a school memorabilia company to secure class rings for students who died. Alumni who are professional therapists have offered free counseling to survivors and their families. People are creating banners signed by members of past classes to hang at the school.

Read the full article about Marjory Stoneman Douglas alum reaching out as advocates by Rebecca Ruiz at Mashable.