Fourth-grader Henry Lieb led the Pledge of Allegiance. Brittany Petro’s fourth-grade class sang “Grand Ole Flag.”

Students worked with teacher Brooke Varner to create a video for the veterans of them explaining what Memorial Day is, and why they recognize it, along with footage of the new Bloomingdale veteran memorial. Their tribute to the soldiers who died in military service can be found at tinyurl.com/2h3jxpdm.

Students raised $807.97 through a school coin drive and donated it to North Country Honor Flight, which gives veterans the chance to fly down to Washington, D.C. to see the war memorials there.

Fifth-grader Claudia Lawrence interviewed Army veteran Dale Gonyea about his 2024 trip as an Honor Flight recipient.

Bloomingdale Elementary second-grader Megan Duchaine, right, hands an $807.97 check to North Country Honor Flight representative Jerika Manning at a Memorial Day ceremony at the school on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

The ceremony ended with the playing of “Taps” and a moment introduced by fourth-grader Nadia Geil.

“During this moment of silence, take some time to think about those who have gone before us and paved the way for our freedom,” Geil said. “In light of that, try going out of your way to be kind to others and to help someone out. Not because you get something out of it, but because somebody else has done it for us.”

Veterans at the ceremony include Joseph Fisher (Army), Steven Miller (Navy-Marine Corps), Fred Betters (Army), Dale Gonyea (Army), David Staszak (Army), Nancy Heath (Air Force), George Bryjak (Marine Corps), Kenneth Casler (Navy), Norma Howard (Army), Robin Smith (Air Force), Danny Price (Navy), William Lyon (Army) and Eric Olson (Army). Debbie Trim from the VFW Auxiliary was there. Mentioned, but not physically present, was Sgt. Cameron Moody, father to Heath, Jacob and Andrea, who is currently deployed in the Horn of Africa with the Army National Guard.