Students at I.J. Holton Intermediate School learned about the American flag Monday morning as they celebrated Freedom Week.

“It means that we are thanking the veterans for all they have done for us,” said 11-year-old Abbly Nelson. “Showing them that we really are thankful for what they have done.”

As part of the annual Freedom Week, sixth-graders attended a flag-raising ceremony, followed by a speech by veteran Norman Hecimovich about how the flag came to be what it is.

“They picked me 13 years ago and I’ve done it ever since,” Hecimovich said.

For Jadyn Moriarty, 11, the ceremony meant more than just honoring the flag.

“Freedom week means that we’re praising all the people in the military for what they have done and praying that all the people get home safely,” Jadyn said.

She noted her thanks for the veterans and those who are fighting currently.

Freedom Week has been celebrated at Ellis Middle School for the last 13 years, but this year it was celebrated at I.J. Holton. Hecimovich said he believes strongly in the celebration and hoped students would learn about flag etiquette.

“We should be so proud of the American flag because 1 million people lost their lives protecting that flag,” he said.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the students filed into the gym where they listened to Hecimovich speak. They presented the colors, and each veteran present stood and introduced themselves and named which war they served in. The assembly also presented student awards for citizenship of the year.

“I’m a veteran and I feel it’s very important that we as veterans are patriotic,” Hecimovich said. “There’s a lot of things that we want [students] to know.”