POULSBO — It will be a red, white and blue Veterans Day in North Kitsap schools.

All of the schools in the district are planning assemblies to celebrate Veterans Day (which is Sunday, Nov. 11), but the content of each assembly is up to the individual schools.

At Breidablik, students are looking to the past as well as the present. Each sixth-grader is bringing in names of veteran relatives; those names will be written on a red, white or blue star to be placed on a white banner.

Some students say the project is increasing their interest in veterans — and their own family history.

Austin Carver, a sixth-grader, found himself learning more about his grandfather, who served in the Marines during World War II.

“I got hooked into it,” Carver said, adding that he peppered his mother with questions about her father’s military past. “I wanted to find out more.”

Kelsey Morgan, another sixth-grader, spoke to her grandfather, who served in Vietnam. He turned his experiences into humor, Morgan said, adding that he spun his time in Vietnam into humorous anecdotes which may be tall tales (“Sometimes I believe them,” Morgan said, “and sometimes I don’t. But it makes me laugh every time”).

And classmate Kasey Rogers said, “I have four people in my family I didn’t know about until my family told me.”

Teacher Sarah Mellenberger, who teaches music, said the banner will be a big part of Breidablik’s two assemblies next Friday, but won’t be the only part. The band will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the military service songs.

“It’s something they’ve been working on very hard,” Mellenberger said.

Mellenberger has been surprised by the response with veterans’ names; “We have 500 students,” she said, “and I wouldn’t be surprised if we got 500 names.”

Breidablik is far from the only school that will be performing next week.

Other schools will honor the holiday in their own way.

Vinland, which has close ties to the U.S. Navy, will have the Navy Brass Quintet visit on Nov. 7 at 10 a.m.

“It’s pretty patriotic around here,” added Jean Parke, who works in the school’s office. “We always appreciate when they’re here.”

At Poulsbo Elementary, where students showed their spirit by helping to raise $5,000 for the victims of the Sept. 11 attack, there will be more patriotism.

One class will be singing “God Bless America;” another will have kids pair off and read patriotic poems or sayings.

The band will play, there will be a color guard present, and police and fire department members have been invited.

“It’s good for them to get a sense for our history, and that we as a country can come together and be unified,” said co-principal Debra Otterby.

The students will also sport red, white and blue pins, Otterby said.

She said, “It’ll be a busy half-hour.”