Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who returned to school two weeks after 17 students and teachers were killed spent half the day on campus Wednesday.

The students were greeted Wednesday morning by police officers carrying military style rifles and an array of counselors and therapy dogs.

They missed two weeks of school following the Valentine’s Day mass shooting that took place in a freshman building just before dismissal.

The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, is in the Broward County Jail, charged with 17-counts of first-degree murder. The shooting has thrust many of the surviving students into the center of the nation’s gun debate.

But Wednesday was all about healing and getting back into a regular routine, albeit a shortened school day.

During the last 14 days, students spent time traveling to Tallahassee to rally lawmakers for changes on gun legislation. And while some students say they feel frustrated going back to school because they had hoped to see more action in Tallahassee, others say returning to class is a first step to healing. 

"I think it's really important that we're all together to kind of start the healing process," said Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Dimitri Hoth. "And rebuilding our memories within the halls of this school."

The school's principal Ty Thompson took to Twitter to show his support and said that Wednesday would be the day the "healing process" would begin.

Outside the school on Tuesday, people tied poems to the chain-link fence surrounding the school, and dropped off red, heart-shaped balloons. 

The building where the shooting occurred was cordoned off, and people signed photographs of the fallen.

“I’m actually not too scared of going back tomorrow,” said junior Sidney Fischer. “There is this sort of looming thought that someone will try to perform another shooting but I’m sure our school will be riddled with security.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.