Natrona County High School Student’s Ornament Chosen to Represent National Christmas Tree in D.C.

Natrona County High School students poured their creativity into ornaments to capture the spirit of Wyoming for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

"Their work reflects themes of natural beauty, state history, and community pride, exceptionally representing the Cowboy State. Students create their designs on an ornament template, which is then scanned and printed on large ceramic ornaments displayed on the Wyoming tree. Along the pathway, viewers are enchanted by the ornaments brilliantly displayed on the additional trees" notes the school district.

For this year’s ceremony, NCHS junior Phebe Zeller’s incredible artwork was chosen to represent Wyoming by being displayed on the National Christmas Tree. “I was excited to hear that my ornament was chosen for the national tree!” shared Phebe. “I chose to draw different areas from around Wyoming that are important to me and other people who come and visit."

A few student participants shared their reflections and inspiration for their artwork:

CJ Syverson’s ornament depicted Indian Paintbrush flowers. “I see Indian Paintbrush out at Alcova a lot, so I drew them with a watery background because that is just Wyoming to me. The water and the rocks and the flowers represent how Wyoming is really beautiful.”

Alissa Miller’s ornament depicted the rainbow trout; “I feel like a lot of people, when they think of Wyoming, they think of our plains and going hunting and hiking and things like that. Through Casper, we have the North Platte River and it is always fun to go fishing over there. I feel like not as many people enjoy fishing as they do hunting, so I wanted to do the trout because fishing is something that I really love.”

Miranda VanTassel's ornament depicted the Wyoming sagebrush; “There is such a big cultural aspect around sagebrush through Wyoming’s history with Native Americans but also Wyoming has so much abundance of sagebrush. It is such a big part of the nature around us. I mean, you go up to the mountain and just smell sage. It is a big part of the nature in Wyoming.”

“We are so proud of our student artists and the art department,” said NCHS Principal Wilson. “Their passion and hard work have not only brought this incredible opportunity to our school but have also highlighted the beauty of Wyoming on a national stage.”

See the winning ornaments here.