Oak Harbor Christian School honored the men and women who serve last Thursday in observance of Patriot Day.

Ann Jaques and her fourth- and fifth-grade class let local firefighters and police officers know how they are appreciated.

The class wrote about 20 thank-you cards to give to the Oak Harbor Fire Department and Oak Harbor Police Department on Sept. 11.

“It was just an opportunity for us to express our thankfulness for their service,” Jaques said, “and just to remember how they put their lives on the line for us, and to reflect on that.

“Make sure that they know we appreciate them.”

The cards were picked up by the end of the day by Ted Diamond, father of fourth grader Colin Diamond. The pair personally delivered the cards to the police and fire departments.

Jaques said the project came about after she read a book to her class about Sept. 11. She then talked with her students “about what it means to be a hero.”

“And then we wrote some cards for some of our first responders to just thank them for protecting us,” Jaques said.