Crowds of students, parents and teachers lined the parking lot of Sunrise Drive Elementary School on Monday, May 19, for the school’s inaugural First Responder Parade.

Over 50 first responders from throughout the Sayville community marched with their children in the parade as Sunrise Drive Elementary students waved on while holding signs they crafted earlier in class.

Students in the Girl and Boy Scouts opened the procession by holding the American flag and a Sunrise Drive banner, followed by the Sayville High School Band, which performed patriotic tunes like “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Doctors, nurses and other medical staff, including members of the Community Ambulance Company, then followed behind while waving to the elementary students lined across the school.

The excited students cheered and called out to their friends who marched with their first responder family members, while dozens of parents and other loved ones cheered on from across the school.

Firefighters from the Sayville and New York City fire departments then marched while holding hands with their children and grandchildren attending the school. The final group marching in the parade was active and retired Sayville law enforcement officers serving in police departments across Long Island and New York City.

Following the parade, the first responders received pictures, cards, and letters created by Sunrise Drive elementary students to show their appreciation for their service.