Beneath the towering pine outside Eliot Elementary School, veterans sat in a place of honor as children’s voices filled the front lawn with songs of thanks. The ceremony outside the historic brick schoolhouse brought moments of quiet remembrance alongside joyful performances.
The school’s second annual Veterans Day celebration welcomed veterans, families and community members Nov. 4, with students from prekindergarten through third grade participating.
Preparation began early in the school year in music class, where Michele Ma, a member of the school’s enrichment team, worked with each grade on its song. Students also gathered for grade-level rehearsals before performing together outside.
“We wanted them to be ready to show our veterans how much they are honored and respected,” Ma said.
Principal Ann Shisler welcomed guests before the Pledge of Allegiance, which a third grader Maisy Brown led in pledge both aloud and again in sign language. Shisler, whose husband serves on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, spoke to students about the example veterans set.
“Veterans remind us what it means to be brave, to help others, and to put others before ourselves,” Shisler said. “To all of our veterans here today, thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and the example you set for all of us.”
As the armed service songs played, veterans were invited to stand when they heard the song representing their military branch. Students then performed their grade-level songs under Ma’s direction.
Third graders presented flowers and cards to the veterans before the entire student body joined in the song “Thank You.”
Community support helped make the celebration possible. Jan Cerabona helped with the veterans display inside the school and organized the pledge, sign language and flag planting, Shisler said. PEEPS, the Partnership of Eliot Elementary Parents, and Maine Market provided coffee for veterans, while Portsmouth Flower Kiosk donated the flowers.
To close the ceremony, second and third graders planted American flags around the flagpole, joining those placed earlier by prekindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students. Audience members were invited to add flags in honor of veterans who could not attend or who had died. Veterans were also welcomed inside afterward to see the school’s display.
For Marine veteran Paul Conley, seeing children take time to honor those who served offered encouragement.
“It makes me have hope for the future of this country,” Conley said.
Shisler said she was proud of both the students’ performances and the respect they showed throughout the ceremony.
“I’m amazingly proud of our kids,” she said. “They were rock stars. They really were.”
