Students at Orchard School gathered in the gym to join in a nationwide singing of "God Bless America."

Fourth and fifth graders shared their thoughts about what America means for them.

"Something that makes me happy about being an American is when something bad happens, people try and help and that we stay strong and go on." - Emily

"The thing I love about our country is the people who make it a safe place for us." - L.M.

"Being patriotic means being loyal to your country.  My grandfather was a soldier in World War II.  Every year, we go to New York and put an American flag in his grave.  That's loyalty." - Jordan

"Being patriotic means that we are respectful to our country." - Conor

"The thing I love about my country is that we are free and we are one with each other." - Chelsi

"Our country is so special because we have freedom and we have the chance to be educated." - Hayden

"What makes our country special is that we have the freedom of choice, we can do things our own way.  We are treated equally, and we can make our own decisions." - Catherine

"Being patriotic means honoring our founding fathers and the people who died to give us freedom." - Dylan

"The thing I love about our country is we always work together to make our country a better place." - L.K.

"Our country is special because we don't care about races or religions.  We care about who people are, and not what they look like." - Kate

"Our country is special because it is free from slavery.  There is not too much poverty because our government is fair.  When another country is in trouble, we help them to the best of our ability, like UNICEF and the Red Cross.  I love America, and I'm very glad I live here."

"It makes me feel good to be surrounded with people that care about the land and other people." - Jordan

Hannah portrayed the Statue of Liberty and read the words inscribed at the base of the famous statue that has welcomed immigrants and visitors to America's shores for many years.