Bryant Ornaments in White House National Christmas Tree Display

 

Holiday tree ornaments usually hold unique memories for families. For the Moore Public Schools Bryant Elementary family, a unique ornament, created over the summer by a group of students, now holds an entirely different type of memory.

 

Students from Moore Public Schools Bryant Elementary will have their artwork featured on the Oklahoma tree beside the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park in Washington, D.C.

 

On May 19, Bryant Principal Dr. Trey Skaggs learned his school was selected to participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting Display at the White House. The annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is Dec. 4 in Washington, D.C.

 

“It was wonderful to be selected, but school let out for the summer on May 16, and I received the email invitation to participate in the project on May 19. Because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I reached out to our Bryant families to see who could bring their students to the school to partake in this national project," said Skaggs.

 

Skaggs will attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with MPS Superintendent Dr. Robert Romines and Elementary Education Director Debra Hendrix.

 

In 2024, Bryant was selected as an elementary school to have their student ornaments hang on one of the trees at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The nomination for a White House Christmas Tree ornament stemmed from that Oklahoma Capitol tree project.

 

The invitation for Bryant to participate in the project came from the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, in collaboration with the White House Visitors Office. There are 58 trees surrounding the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. Each tree features weather-proof ornaments, designed by students from each state and focused on the 2025 theme of “What Makes Your State Beautiful.” The free display is open to the public from Dec. 6 to Jan. 1, 2026.

 

Sophie Ward of the White House Visitors Office wrote in an email, “Each tree is decorated with student-designed ornaments that celebrate the unique cultures, stories, and communities of each U.S. state, territory, Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity.”

 

Review each state’s designs for the 2025 National Christmas Tree at www.thenationaltree.org/ornaments.

 

HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL TREE

 

According to The National Tree website, in 1923, President Calvin Coolidge walked from the White House to the Ellipse to light a 48-foot fir tree decorated with 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white and green, as a local choir and a “quartet” from the U.S. Marine Band performed. Decades later, this American holiday tradition continues to bring citizens together to share in a message of hope and peace. Learn more at www.thenationaltree.org/about-the-tree

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