A sea of tiny hands clutched miniature American flags and waved them in the air below the flag pole outside Glen Hills Elementary School last Wednesday morning. In a shimmering blanket of red, white and blue, the National Anthem played in the background while students and families took a moment to honor veterans.

For the last five years, Glen Hills’ school community has held a Veterans Day celebration where students who have an active duty or retired service member in their lives may bring this individual to the school for a coffee social. This year, the social had 80 attendees – 40 kids and 40 veterans. A number of service members were parents, grandparents and great-grandparents; all of whom enjoyed a selection of donuts, muffins and coffee.

“I think it’s an example of how amazing of a community Glen Hills is,” said Principal Beth Basile, mentioning the support from families and teachers.

Kelley Moretta, president of the Parents and Teacher of Glen Hills (PTGH), ran the Nov. 9 event and said each year since its inception, the celebration has grown. Moretta said the reason the school started the Veterans Day Celebration was because former Principal Jay DeCristofaro and Moretta wanted to honor and thank the veterans in the community. Funding for the celebration came through the PTGH.

Prior to the coffee social, teachers talked to students about what Veterans Day is about and what a veteran is; each grade level then creates a different decoration for the event. This year, on top of red, white and blue tablecloths were centerpieces featuring colored illustrations of service members from different military branches. On the back of the bags, students wrote notes thanking veterans for their service; the school’s third graders created these. Meanwhile, the fourth graders created poppy flower pins out of construction paper for individuals to wear.

Fifth grader Ramona Perrino, 10, brought her grandfather Dennis Perrino, who was in full military dress, to Wednesday’s breakfast.

“I think it’s [Veterans Day] very important because veterans need recognition for what they’ve done,” said Ramona. “They’ve done so much for everyone.”

Dennis served from 1969 to 1996 – with one year in Vietnam and the rest of his time with the Army Reserve in Rhode Island.

“Showing gratitude and respect, being helpful and thoughtful in service to others is something that we try to express to children every day,” Basile told attendees last Wednesday.

Basile then asked students to look at the guests they brought with them.

“I want you to think about examples of how you can take what they [veterans] have done for our country and apply it to our classrooms, to your peers and to your classmates,” said Basile.

After two poetry readings from fourth graders Will Moretta and Kaylee San on the armed forces’ sacrifice to America, students and families filed outside the front of the school where Cranston West’s Westernettes and Falconettes greeted them. West’s band provided music while students in Cranston East’s ROTC program raised the flag.

Following the band’s rendition of the National Anthem, Glen Hills’ music teacher Ruth Moran led elementary students in singing “This Flag We Fly” and “America My Home,” which concluded the program.

Basile said the school hallways had been “ringing with songs,” as students spent the past month prepping with Moran.