Thousands of tourists and residents of the nation’s capital had a chance to see Christmas ornaments designed by the former eighth-grade class of Columbus St. Joseph Montessori School in the period leading up to and just after Christmas.
The 19 decorations, one for each class member plus one marked as anonymous, were the only ornaments on Ohio’s tree that was one of 58 trees representing U.S. states and territories along the Pathway of Peace surrounding the National Christmas Tree outside the White House.
Students of one school from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and seven territories were chosen to decorate the tree representing their area with ornaments showing what makes their state beautiful.
“We learned of the ornament project late last April from one of our school parents who has a connection to the White House,” Montessori art specialist Jodie Gollings said. “It wasn’t a competition but an invitation.
“We enthusiastically accepted the opportunity because our eighth graders had just gotten back from a class trip to Washington earlier in the month and were studying a unit in which the natural beauty of Ohio was the theme throughout their classes.
“Everything turned out to be a happy coincidence because the students had just gotten back from Washington, where they visited all the major monuments and the Capitol building. They weren’t able to go inside the White House, but they got to see it and this gave them a vision of where their tree would be.
“It really brought history to life, and it gave added meaning to the students’ final days at school.”
St. Joseph Montessori has programs for students ranging from toddler through middle school. Gollings said the ornament designers now attend high schools throughout the Columbus area, most of them Catholic institutions.
The students took a month to create the ornaments, which centered around native Ohio plants and flowers.
The National Park Service provided an ornament template for the students. Gollings emphasized the importance of a cohesive visual element across all student pieces.
“To unify the designs, we chose to use the outline of Ohio as a background shape for each ornament,” said Gollings, who is in her second year at the school after spending many years in advertising and marketing as a graphic designer. “We also studied historical botanical illustrations for inspiration.”
Each student selected a native plant, created a detailed sketch and incorporated it into the shared design framework.
The tree has been displayed since the 103rd National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony took place on Thursday, Dec. 4 and will remain in place until Thursday, Jan. 1.
The ornaments and more information about the National Christmas Tree may be seen at www.thenationaltree.org/ornaments/ohio.
