Eleanor Romeo, Leea Waterman, Addysen Davis and Camryn Peachay read about the history of Veterans Day during an assembly at Fritsch Elementary Thursday.
Even though the schools are closed for Veterans Day, it didn’t stop the students at Fritsch Elementary from honoring those who served.
Clad in red, white and blue, the students and staff spent Thursday afternoon honoring America’s veterans.
“Today is a very special day we want to celebrate,” said Principal Dan Brown. “It’s a day we get to honor our vets.”
The students invited veterans in their families to join the celebration. Nearly two dozen veterans from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines were present. The veterans served in present and past wars, including the Vietnam war.
“We do this every year, it’s tradition,” said Brown. “We want to show and teach the students to be proud and respectful to our vets.”
Brown introduced each veteran to the students and explained what it meant to be a veteran.
The Boy Scouts Pack 45 presented the colors and the Fritsch choir sang songs about the country to showcase their patriotism and gratitude. The veterans even sang along with the students.
“We want to thank them and show how much we appreciate them,” Brown said.
The staff also made sure the students knew some of the history behind Veterans Day, introducing the students to past vets like the famous Gail Halverson, known as the Candy Bomber from World War II. The school even made mini candy bar and parachute gifts for each veteran.
The celebration concluded with the school showing the vets a video honoring and thanking them and previewing veterans in the students’ families.