RSU 38 Students Create Ornaments for National Christmas Tree Display in Washington, D.C.
Students from 56 schools across the country, including Maine Regional School Unit (RSU) 38 serving Maranacook area students, have designed one-of-a-kind ornaments for the 2020 National Christmas Tree display on the Ellipse in President’s Park. These unique ornaments will adorn 56 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree. The trees represent each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia as part of the America Celebrates ornament display. This year, several ornaments from each school will also be displayed inside the White House.
“We are so proud of Visual Art Educator Nicole Blake and her students in RSU 38 for their dedication to creating original-design ornaments for both the state of Maine tree and the tree that appears in the Blue Room of the White House,” said Jason Anderson, Maine DOE Visual and Performing Arts Specialist.
The America Celebrates ornament program is a collaboration of the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Department of Education and the National Park Foundation (NPF). The U.S. Department of Education worked through state art and education offices, which identified elementary, middle and high schools to participate in the America Celebrates program. The project is funded by the NPF.
From state flowers to notable landmarks, students created ornaments that celebrate their state, district or territory. Students from RSU 38 pictured with the the ornament they designed can be seen below:
56 schools designed ornaments for the 2020 National Christmas Tree display in President’s Park:
Alabama: Shelby County High School
Alaska: IDEA Homeschool
American: Samoa Lupelele Elementary School
Arizona: Pinnacle High School
Arkansas: Wooster Elementary School
California: Riverside STEM Academy
Colorado: Meeker High School
Connecticut: Berlin Public Schools
Delaware: Newark High School
District of Columbia: Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC)
Florida: Port Salerno Elementary
Georgia: Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
Guam: Agana Heights Elementary School
Hawaii: Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School
Idaho: Mountain Home High School
Illinois: Richland County Community Unit School District
Indiana: Brown County High School
Iowa: Karen Acres Elementary School
Kansas: Rolling Ridge Elementary School
Kentucky: Dishman-McGinnis Elementary School
Louisiana: Parkway Elementary School
Maine: Regional School Unit #38
Maryland: Hyattsville Middle School
Massachusetts: All Saints Academy
Michigan: Brimley Area School District
Minnesota: St. Alphonsus Catholic School
Mississippi: Terry High School
Missouri: Nixa Public School
Montana: The Polaris School
Nebraska: Chadron Public School
Nevada: Damonte Ranch High School
New Hampshire: Amherst Middle School
New Jersey: Delaware Township School
New Mexico: Harrison Schmitt Elementary School
New York: Champlain Valley Educational Services
North Carolina: West Buncombe Elementary School
North Dakota: Kindred Public School District
Northern Mariana Islands: Grace Christian Academy
Ohio: Liberty Tree Elementary School
Oklahoma: Jenks High School
Oregon: Howard Street Charter School
Pennsylvania: Neshaminy School District
Puerto Rico: Escuela Dr. Francisco Hernández y Gaetán
Rhode Island: Frank E. Thompson Middle School
South Carolina: J.G. McCracken Middle School
South Dakota: Hill City High School
Tennessee: Beaumont Magnet Academy Elementary School
Texas: Caldwell High School
U.S. Virgin Islands: St. Croix Educational Complex High School
Utah: Union High School
Vermont: Milton Town School District
Virginia: Appomattox Regional Governor’s School
Washington: Tukes Valley Middle School
West Virginia: Robert L. Bland Middle School
Wisconsin: St. Thomas More High School
Wyoming: West Elementary School
The America Celebrates display is one of the highlights of the National Christmas Tree experience. The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was held virtually on Thursday, Dec. 3, you can see a recording of it at thenationaltree.org. This year’s show featured the recorded lighting of the National Christmas Tree, holiday performances and more.
Since 1973, the National Christmas Tree has been a living tree which can be viewed year-round in President’s Park – one of America’s 422 national parks! A 30-foot Colorado blue spruce currently serves as the National Christmas Tree.