Around 30 Highland Elementary School students took some time out of their school day on Monday to serenade local veterans.

Under the direction of Highland’s retired music teacher David Hughes, the students sang patriotic tunes to veterans who came to Texas Roadhouse, one of the school’s Adopt-A-School partners.

“Texas Roadhouse helps us with a lot of things, like academic incentives and motivational items, providing lunches for staff members and fund-raising opportunities,” said coordinator and fourth-grade teacher Andy George. “So we look out for ways to help them out whenever we can.”

“We participate in a lot of their programs,” said Crystal Baker, Texas Roadhouse’s service manager. “We give out free kids meals through the PTO and donate to all of their carnivals.”

Free lunches for veterans on Veterans Day is a nation-wide Texas Roadhouse program, Baker said.

The Hamilton City School District’s Adopt-A-School program has been going on for about 20 years, according to district spokeswoman Joni Copas.

“The purpose of the program is to strengthen education through the use of business resources,” she said, “and the ultimate goal is to encourage greater community interest in the schools.”

Several local business, including Hamilton Scrap Processors, LifeSpan and Mercy Hospital, have been part of the program from the very beginning, Copas said.

“We currently have 58 partners among all of the schools,” she said. “Sometimes a business will adopt a school because they’re in close proximity, or other times they may choose a school because an employee or business owner will have a child in that school.”

“It’s a nice way to get businesses and other groups out into the schools who might not normally go to school functions,” Copas said.