MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — While most schools and offices observed Veterans Day on Friday with a day off, Trinity Christian School in Morgantown held a special program to honor those who served in the community.

Ashley Murdock, the Director of Student Success, said the Veterans Day program “has been a long-standing tradition at Trinity Christian School.”

Although Murdock is not sure how long the event has been going on exactly, she said that she has been affiliated with the school for over 13 years “and it was going on well before my time.” She also said that the school finds it “super important” for the students to recognize and honor veterans for all of the sacrifices they’ve given to this country.

This year, the school specifically focused on getting more students involved so that they could play an active role in this ceremony. “We have a very thriving arts department here at Trinity, especially in the performing arts,” Murdock stated.

The event had performances from K-5 students singing patriotic songs, and the secondary students in grades 6-12 in the Warrior Band playing on their instruments. This song selection included the “Armed Forces Salute,” and the Warrior Band played a tune representing each branch of the Armed Forces.

During this time, all of the guests that served were asked to stand up for their particular branch. As these eventgoers stood up, the audience gave a round of applause to recognize them.

“It’s always very, you know, a sobering effect for me when I see all of those veterans stand when we play the ‘Armed Forces Salute’ and each branch is recognized,” said Murdock. “And so, I just hope that our students are able to look around and see not just the familiar faces, but those in the crowd that are a guest that have just paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.”

Murdock said that she feels this event is important for students to celebrate because “freedoms are not just given to us, especially our Christian faith.” Therefore, she emphasized that it’s important for the children to understand how important of a role the veterans play.

“It’s part of our Trinity culture and so, it’s something that we continue to plan to do for many years to come,” she continued.