These are the 17 victims of the Florida school shooting

The 17 victims killed in the school shooting Wednesday in Parkland, Florida, were soccer stars, National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, members of the marching band, volunteers who did cleanup work after Hurricane Irma, and debate tournament winners.

Authorities released their names on Thursday, with their ages ranging from 14 to 49: Scott Beigel, 35, was a geography teacher, and parent Jennifer Zeif said he saved her son Matthew's life by pushing him inside a classroom right before Beigel was shot; Aaron Feis, 37, was a football coach, and also credited with shielding students from gunfire; Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, enjoyed playing soccer and recently won a debate tournament; and Martin Duque Anguiano, 14, was "sweet and caring," his brother, Miguel Duque, said, but "most of all he was my baby brother."

Nicholas Dworet, 17, was a swimmer, and had an academic scholarship secured for the University of Indianapolis; Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was always dancing, her family said, and liked going to the beach; Christopher Hixon, 49, was Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's athletic director, and was honored by the Broward County Athletics Association in 2017 as Athletic Director of the Year; and Luke Hoyer, 15, played basketball and admired LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

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Cara Loughran, 14, was an excellent student, her family said, and enjoyed spending time with her cousins; Gina Montalto, 14, was a member of the winter color guard team; Joaquin Oliver, 17, went by the nickname "Guac," played basketball, and loved to write; Alaina Petty, 14, enjoyed volunteering and did cleanup work after Hurricane Irma hit Florida; and Meadow Pollack, 18, planned to attend Lynn University in Boca Raton next year.

Helena Ramsay, 17, was thoughtful and had a warm demeanor, her family said; Alex Schachter, 14, played the trombone in the marching band; Carmen Schentrup, 16, was a 2018 National Merit Scholarship semifinalist; and Peter Wang, 15, was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps who "was the kid in school who would be friends with anyone," his cousin Lin Chen told The New York Times. "He didn't care about popularity." Catherine Garcia