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Patriotism On Stage At Dent Elementary
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Taking parents on a musical tour through a bit of American history, Dent Elementary third grade students were on stage Friday morning in a special patriotic assembly.

Celebrating Presidents' Day with a collection of songs, interesting facts and figures, the third grade classes started their program with a presentation of the colors by local Cub Scouts, the pledge to the flag, then gave a brief history of the Declaration of Independence.

Interspersed with the facts were such songs as 'This Land is Your Land,' 'You're a Grand Old Flag,' Neil Diamond's 'Coming to America' and more.

Some performers were decked out in red, white and blue and carried small American flags, while others portrayed immigrants, dressed in native costumes and taking a seat at the feet of the Statue of Liberty as they learned about historic figures from Washington to Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr.

Third grade teachers Melissa Stout, Kristin Alves, Becky Head, Tara Jones, Nicole Collins, Colette Lund, Mandy Bartelink and second-third combination class teacher Cynda Pang worked with their students on the production, which not only served as a patriotic assembly for Presidents' Day but also met several state standards.

"There are social studies standards, performing arts standards, language arts," said Dent Principal Kendra Helsley. "Plus the students learned about communities, national symbols, the leadership of our country."

Nearly 150 students were involved in the production altogether and they performed for a standing room only crowd in the Dent cafeteria on Friday.

They closed out the show with a rendition of the 'Dent Dragons' song, to the tune of 'Yankee Doodle,' then had the chance to pose for photos on stage.

Helsley commended the students and teachers for working hard to pull off a stellar performance.