By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News

ROWLETT -- Halea Anderson was so engrossed in her performance of "You're a Grand Old Flag" that she almost missed the surprise.

Her father, who had been deployed in Afghanistan since September, walked within a few feet of the 7-year-old before she broke away from her classmates and leaped into his arms.

Halea wasn't expecting to see her father, Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew Anderson, until Friday night. But the staff at Rockwall Christian Academy arranged a surprise early reunion.

Students and teachers, waving red and white pom-poms and small American flags, gathered in the auditorium along with Rowlett Mayor John Harper and U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall.

Halea's teacher, Sandi Dyer, told her they would be performing songs for the mayor. "And that's what she believed," Mrs. Dyer said.

Sgt. Anderson sat obscured in the back row as the first-graders filed in, recited a short skit and unfurled a "Welcome Home" banner behind his daughter. When the children started singing, he walked toward the stage.

"I was wanting to run to her. I was wanting to run and jump into her arms," he said. "She did the running and jumping for me."

Halea, a few tears streaking her cheeks, brushed noses with her father in an Eskimo kiss and then buried her face in his shoulder. After a few moments, sister Kaylin, 2, joined the embrace.

Sgt. Anderson's wife, Heather, said she was amazed by the production.

"I was surprised they did so much for him," she said. "But they really did it for Halea."

At least two other children attending the Rowlett private school have parents serving overseas.

"The students at RCA have been praying for you and praying for our military," Superintendent Jeanne Zakem told Sgt. Anderson. "We are so happy that you are back."

Sgt. Anderson said the support and prayers from home are what keep soldiers going.

"That means so much more than you will ever know," he said.

Mrs. Anderson graduated from Rockwall Christian and Sgt. Anderson from Bland High School in Hunt County. The family had lived in North Carolina, where Sgt. Anderson is stationed.

After his deployment, Mrs. Anderson brought her daughters to live with her mother, Vicky Haynes of Heath. Now that his tour of duty is over, the Andersons will return to North Carolina.

That knowledge made the reunion bittersweet for Halea. Minutes after drying the tears brought on by her father's appearance, she and several classmates formed a group hug and started crying.

"We're so happy for you because your daddy's here it's good," Mrs. Dyer told her. "We'll send Valentine cards; we'll write letters. And you'll write letters, too."