When preschool teacher Jennifer Nicotra asked her students what a veteran is, some told her it was a person who cared for animals.

That was a couple of weeks ago and now the RYF Preschool students know the difference between a veteran and a veterinarian.

Their excitement about what they have learned was palpable Friday as they rehearsed "God Bless America" for a Monday performance and party for local veterans at their school at the Pine-Richland Youth Center in Richland Township.

"The kids plan the whole party; they plan the snacks and gifts," said Nicotra, whose husband Tim is in the 171st Air National Guard Refueling Wing.

Also on Friday, veteran John Folmer read H is for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet to the kids. His daughter Isabella is a student.

Students' artwork displayed on the classroom bulletin board showed they had learned that veterans are soldiers, brave and "my dad."