Jackson Elementary Student Brigette Harrington Wins U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Contest
October 15, 2018, Hillsboro, OR - Jackson Elementary School fourth-grader Brigette Harrington was announced as the winner of Oregon’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest in a surprise announcement delivered by Governor Kate Brown this morning.
The contest drew more than 1,200 submissions from fourth-graders around the state, all of whom answered the prompt: “What I love about Oregon’s outdoors.”
For winning the contest, Brigette has earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., this December where she will serve as the official lighter of “The People’s Tree,” which is coming from Oregon’s Willamette National Forest. The 80-foot-tall noble fir has already been selected, and will be the first noble ever displayed on the Capitol lawn.
In addition to the trip, Brigette received a 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree ornament and a special “ugly sweater” baseball jersey created by the Eugene Emeralds minor league baseball team in partnership with the Willamette National Forest Service.
“Amazing” was the word Brigette used to describe her feelings about winning the contest and meeting the Governor. When asked why she loves the outdoors so much, Brigette mentioned animals and fresh air.
Read the official press release here.
Read Brigette’s winning entry here.
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- Jackson