LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At first glance, it was just like any other day at Saint Xavier High School.
Students filled the classrooms, taking notes on lectures, but take a closer look and you'll find the strict shirt and tie dress code loosened up a bit on Thursday.
"It's one of the...one of the moments you don't really forget...like where you were when you heard that news," Senior Class President Teddy Meiers said.
Meiers remembers where he was when he learned about the mass shooting at Old National Bank on April 10. He was at the Louisville Zoo.
He remembers learning how it felt when he found out one of the victims was a parishioner at his church -- a graduate of Trinity High School -- Joshua Barrick, 40, was part of Meiers' community.
On Thursday, students came together to show support for their city in its darkest time. They wore special shirts, a fundraiser deemed "Louisville Strong", to raise money for Barrick's family.
"The response has been overwhelming," Campus Store Manager Linda Oliver said. "We pre-ordered 500 [shirts] in the beginning because that's what we were worried about selling and it's just...it just blew up."
In the ten days since the shirts went on sale, the school has sold 1,700.
It's the most successful fundraiser in the school's history. Oliver said she's never seen a response like this.
"It's been amazing, it really has," she said. And at the heart of it -- students -- putting an age-old rivalry aside to rally together Louisville strong.
There are still about 250 shirts left. If you'd like to purchase one, you can visit the school's campus store Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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