Students from Portsmouth Elementary School performed a special Veterans Day musical program on Nov. 11 to honor and celebrate our nation’s men and women of the services.
Fourth-grade students and members of the Trojan Express choir practiced for weeks, delivering monologues and singing classic American songs like the National Anthem, America the Beautiful, You’re a Grand Old Flag, and many others.
Portsmouth Elementary Music Teacher Laurie O’Brien said the kids did an awesome job!
“We haven’t had a live Veterans Day program in three years because of COVID. We did a video last year with just the choir kids, so this year we really wanted to make it big and special,” she said. “I always tell them, you’re able to come to a public school every day and learn because there were people who fought for your freedom to do that. I think that’s very important. Some of them didn’t even realize they had veterans in their family until we start doing this.”
Parents and families were invited to the program, and at the conclusion students asked veterans in the audience to stand for a round of applause. Principal and veteran John Born delivered some emotional comments to the other veterans in the crowd, speaking from the stage.
“These kids, I just love them. I may not show it all the time, but I do. You mean the world to them, and to us,” he said, to a loud cheer of support.
For more information about Portsmouth City Schools, visit them online at www.portsmouthtrojans.net, or follow the school’s page on Facebook.