Minot Forest Elementary students participated in a patriotic outdoor ceremony in place of their regular morning announcements on Friday, September 9. The ceremony was a tribute to those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and to the emergency officials who responded to help.

"A lot of people lost their lives that day and we were very sad as a country," Minot Forest Principal Joan Seamans explained to the students whom, if they were born at all when the attacks occurred, were only infants. Many wore patriotic colors for the occasion.

Seamans did not explain to the youngsters exactly what happened, only that there were plane crashes and that many lives were lost.

But there were also many heroes who helped, Seamans told the students.

"There were policemen, firemen, and everyday people who came out to help that day," she said. "From them on, we had a lot of pride in our country."

Students from Robyn Hennigan's fourth grade class read essays about their own heroes, including moms, grandfathers, and more.

"I will tell you who my hero is," Matthew Thompson read. "Firemen who put themselves in danger to save us."

Matthew added: "I was in a firetruck before. It was pretty cool!"

To honor those heroes as well as those who passed away on 9/11, the students recited the Pledge of Allegiance, waved American flags they'd made out of paper, and sang patriotic songs, including the Star-Spangled Banner and "This Land is Your Land," before filing back into school in a sea of red, white, and blue to begin the school day.