Sand Springs Students Watch As 40 New Americans Take Citizenship Oath

Fourth- and fifth-graders at Angus Valley Elementary in Sand Springs took part in a special ceremony Wednesday morning.

They helped welcome 40 new U.S. citizens and serenaded them with the American national anthem.

Those at the ceremony come from as close as Canada and Mexico, to as far away as China and Iran.

Federal judges gave them the oath of citizenship, and the crowd enjoyed patriotic songs and a lesson in what the Pledge of Allegiance really means.

"To be part of a country that has given so much to the world, to the people of the world, it's a humbling experience to be accepted -- to be part of that society and that nation," new American citizen Oliver Martinez said.

The new Americans received their certificates of citizenship, then signed up to participate in one of America's most celebrated rights – they registered to vote.