Riverwood Students Decorate Official Georgia Christmas Tree

From Riverwood Int'l: Nineteen students from Riverwood International Charter School created ornaments to decorate the official Christmas tree representing the State of Georgia, which is currently on display in Washington, DC. The six-foot state tree is one of 56 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park, with each tree representing a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia. Riverwood was selected as the sole provider of handmade ornaments for the 2018 Georgia tree.

Students from Riverwood’s National Art Honor Society were tasked with designing ornaments that best represent Georgia. The students are: Allie Abbott, Chloe Capes, Anaya Chennault, Morgan Cohen, Maria Coles, Ari Feingold, Alexis Fernandez-Hernandez, Diana Harden, Elizabeth Hernandez, Grecia Hernandez, Hague Johnson, Riley Mehrman, Liza Miller, Nissa Newman, Sage Patterson, Maggie Regier, Jacob Smith, Sydney Williams, and Christal Woodward. With help from art teachers Dana Munson, Lana Ensmann, and Heather Meyer, the students researched specific characteristics of the state, including the official state tree, flower, bird, fish, and insect, as well as other notable symbols and designations of the “Peach State.” Notes Ensmann, “When we discovered that Georgia has the second largest film industry in the world, a student insisted on doing a cleverly-named ‘Y’allywood’ themed ornament.” Students were encouraged to select a medium that suited their theme and their talents. Paper maché, paint, sculpture, and even mosaic tile were media of choice. Ornaments feature dogwood flowers, Vidalia onions, peaches, white-tailed deer, largemouth bass, honeybees, and the state flag. One is filled with Georgia
peanuts. Junior Chloe Capes marvels, “It’s really exciting to think about my work being displayed in front of so many people. I think it’s so cool that Riverwood was given this unique opportunity to represent the entire state of Georgia.” Maggie Regier, also an 11 th grader, adds, “Creating an ornament for the President's Park is such as cool experience! I think it is amazing that my work will be featured there!”

Jessica Booth, Fine Arts Education Director at the Georgia Department of Education, selected Riverwood for the honor of decorating this year’s Georgia tree. Riverwood is active in state-wide arts programming and education and boasts an energetic and engaged National Art Honor Society chapter. The school offers Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) art curriculum, as well as classes in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, film, and digital design.

The tree project, dubbed America Celebrates, is one of the highlights of the National Christmas Tree experience, which began on November 28 th with the 96 th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. It is coordinated through a partnership with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Education and is funded by the National Park Foundation. The trees will remain on display outside of the White House through January 1, 2019.

Image via Riverwood Int'l