Greetings from the Governor’s Mansion!
It is my pleasure to invite students from your school to create and decorate an ornament as a class as part of the eighteenth annual 2022 First Lady Student Ornament Competition. This year, to celebrate the holiday season, we have chosen “Nutcracker” as the theme for our ornament.
Classrooms are invited to submit an ornament, so please pass this information along to the art teacher at your school or any teacher who would like to make this a class project. All ornaments will be displayed at the West Virginia State Capitol Complex during the 2022 holiday season. The ornaments will be classified in four divisions according to grade: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each ornament will be individually judged, and four winners will be selected, one from each division.
The winning individuals, groups, or classes will be invited to participate virtually in the State Capitol’s annual holiday event, the Joyful Night Celebration. Further details will be provided to the winners. In January 2023, the four winning ornaments will be donated to the West Virginia State Museum for their permanent collection.
Please submit your “Nutcracker” class ornament by Friday, November 18, 2022. Detailed information on the ornament decoration procedure is included below. If you have any questions, please send Elizabeth Yeager an email at Elizabeth.A.Yeager@wv.gov.
Every year, we look forward to hosting this competition with the Department of Arts, Culture and History. The Governor and I love to see how talented our students are! We wish you a wonderful school year and truly appreciate your participation in this holiday tradition.
Design and Submission Information for the 2022 First Lady Student Ornament Competition
• Only one ornament per class is allowed for judging.
• The ornament should represent the “Nutcracker” theme.
• The ornament must be no taller than 6 inches and can be three-dimensional
• For the construction of the ornament, use a lightweight wood or lightweight materials such as paper, foam board, cardboard, felt, or paper mache.
• Be creative! Decorate your ornament with items such as glitter, paint, crayons, aluminum foil, or paper.
• You must write on the reverse side of the ornament or attach the following to the ornament:
o Teacher’s name
o School and Class
o Email address
o Phone number
o Mailing address
If the information is not written on the reverse side of the ornament or attached to the ornament, it will be displayed on the tree, but not eligible for judging.
• Attach a five-inch loop of string or ribbon to hang the ornament on the tree.
• The ornament will not be returned.
• The ornament must be received no later than Friday, November 18, 2022, at the Department of Arts, Culture and History. Ornaments received after this date cannot be judged.
• The winning class will be notified the week beginning November 28th.
Please send or deliver the ornament to:
Elizabeth Yeager
Department of Arts, Culture and History
The Culture Center
1900 Kanawha Blvd, East
Charleston, WV 25305
If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Yeager at Elizabeth.A.Yeager@wv.gov.