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An early salute
Dent Elementary students perform tribute to veterans
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN
Students from Kimberly Edwards' and Kimberly Winterwerp's prekindergarten classes wave their flags Friday as they recite "When the Flag Goes By" during an early Veterans Day celebration at Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School.
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Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School's veterans program goes beyond show and dance routines to remind youngsters about the patriotic service given by millions of America's veterans.
The school held an afternoon program of about a dozen performances last Friday to an audience of parents and servicemen and women.
"It's very patriotic, said Rick DeMarr of La Plata, whose two nephews attend Dent Elementary. "I think it's good for the kids to recognize and learn about history."
Both DeMarr and his father, Lloyd, are Air Force veterans and were invited to the show along with other family members who served in the military and a group of veterans from the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.
Music directors Gail Tyler and Lynn Hudak organized the performance, which was narrated by fifth-grade students Jacob Gray and Samantha Raley, both 10 years old.
It featured songs like "I Love America" and "In Service to Our Country," as well as military branch anthems, each sung by different classes.
Students from Debra Amato's and Shawn Hughes' fifth-grade classes sang a finale medley of "Land That We Love" and "America."
"This was wonderful," Clarence Davis, 86, of Charlotte Hall said after the show Friday. Davis, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor nearly 68 years ago, was impressed with the variety of the acts and said he was honored to be invited to the school.
"I hope it makes the kids remember," Davis said.
Davis said he is already preparing for this year's service in Annapolis on Dec. 7 to honor those at Pearl Harbor and remember the Japanese attack on that day in 1941 that catapulted the United States into World War II.
Laura Reese of Mechanicsville just recently retired after 22 years of service in the Air Force. Her daughter, Anna, attends fourth grade at Dent Elementary and sang "Sing a Song of Peace" towards the end of the show.
"They were awesome songs, traditional," Reese said. It is important for veterans to know they are appreciated and thought about by students, she said.
Principal Paul Fancella opened the event in his Maryland Army National Guard uniform.
Fancella, a Navy veteran, took over the helm of the school this year and was happy to participate in the veterans ceremony.
"I've heard of the program before," he said. Fancella said it was a pleasure to see the ceremony come together and a delight to watch all of the students in the school participate.
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