Students serenade Seniors at Patriotic Day

Malta Elementary School first graders from Mrs. Heidi Lulloff and Mrs. Cindy Christman's first grade classes - 42 in total - took a short bus ride to the Hi-Line Retirement Center in Malta last Thursday to sing a handful of patriotic songs they had been practicing all year (practice made perfect) during Patriot Day at the center.

The songs on the afternoon included the Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, My Home's in Montana and You're a Grand Old Flag.

The first-grade students in attendance at HLRC on Thursday were (from Mrs. Lullof's class) Summer Bessman, Kade Bleth, Hailey Brockie, Jorga Chandler, Tellen Corneliusen, Roxy Hickle, Christopher Horn, Mira Judd, Rhylee Kelley, Keaton Kluck, Miracle Love, Corby Mears, Chevelle Red Eagle, Brenley Reid,Chet Salveson, Corvin Salveson, Brayden Score, Madelynn Tatafu, Sommer Waters, Mackenzie Witmer, Colby Wright, (and from Mrs. Christman's class) Chastidee Blakesley, Samuel Boonstra, Hunter Fried, Hadley Hammond, Lily Harms, Kodi Knudsen, Sadie Lamoreau, Daxton Math, Kassidy Modic, Gabriel Oshio, Savannah Rhoads, Sophie Sammons, Colter Snedigar, Shaun Snellman, Shelby Snellman, Harley Stolem-Luton, Joshua Tams, Jace Tollefson, Titus Wiederrick, Mystical Winkel, and Anderson Yeadon.

"It was good," Yeadon said of the singing. "We practiced for the whole year so we did well."

Hammond, a fellow first grader, agreed with Yeadon about practice and said her favorite tune on the day was God Bless America.

"It's a pretty song," she said.

The students sang for residents of the retirement center, family, and friends while standing at attention in the center's dining room. The show lasted for just over 15-minutes, and following the singing, parents of the students were invited back to school to attend a picnic lunch.

HLRC resident Jackie Olson said she enjoyed the singing so much that she hoped it would become a weekly feature at the center.

"I thought it was very nice and that they did a very good job," she said. "I think that it is wonderful and I would like to see them more often if they would come."