Third grade students from Stanley County Elementary School in Fort Pierre have created ornaments that will decorate one of the 58 trees in the 2022 National Christmas Tree display in Washington, DC.
The trees represent states, territories, and schools managed by the Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
Teacher Kristie Maher says their ornaments celebrate the animals that live in the hills, plains and waterways of South Dakota. She says since they are the “Stanley County Buffalos” they started by reading an excerpt from the book “Roy Houck: Buffalo Man” to consider the traits that make this animal a good mascot for the school as well as being a legendary South Dakota animal. She says they then read about and explored the art of Oscar Howe, a South Dakota artist laureate. The art on the ornaments is inspired by the natural subjects, bright colors, movement and sharp lines in Howe’s paintings.
The America Celebrates ornament program is an annual collaboration of the National Park Service, the US Department of Education and the National Park Foundation. Each federal partner worked within their organizations to facilitate the identification of elementary, middle and high schools to participate in the America Celebrates program. The project is funded by the National Park Foundation.
Third graders, Julius Boes and Kyle Krieger, choose a warm or cool color scheme for their animal drawing as was common in the art of famous SD/Yanktonai artist, Oscar Howe.
Courtesy photo.
Students are practicing strategies for drawing animals in preparation for creating ornaments based upon iconic SD animals.
Courtesy photo.
Talia Kuntz draws an owl on the ornament template provided by the National Park Service.
Courtesy photo.
Third graders, Kaysen Fisher and Whitley Bame, practicing strategies for drawing animals.
Courtesy photo.
Walleye, the SD State Fish, is featured on the ornament created by Alyssa Cox.
Courtesy photo.
The ornament created by student Bentley England features a deer.
Courtesy photo.
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