SALT LAKE CITY — For the 24 schoolchildren who found themselves dancing in the ballroom of the Governor’s Mansion, with the governor himself, Monday turned out to be a school day unlike any other.
In the early 20th century, Utah’s first lady Jennie Kearns started a tradition of regularly bringing kids from the nearby orphanage into the Governor’s Mansion.
This legacy continues on today, as each year elementary school children are invited into the mansion to help the governor and first lady decorate the library’s Christmas tree and mantel.
“It’s really fun to have kiddos in the mansion right now at Christmastime. But also, these are fourth graders who are learning Utah history, and to be able to connect the history that they’re learning in their classrooms to actual history in this building is really special for them, and I think it’s an opportunity to to have them experience something really powerful,” said Utah’s first lady Abby Cox.
On Monday, a fourth grade class from Polk Elementary in Ogden brought its handmade decorations into the mansion’s library, led by teacher Amy Shirts. The group was welcomed by the governor and his wife.
“We love to host you in our home, but it’s not just our home. It’s your home too. This house belongs to the people of Utah. We’re just lucky that we get to live in it for a few years,” Gov. Spencer Cox said.
The decorations used on the tree and mantel in the library were made by Polk Elementary’s three fourth grade classes.
“We had been given the theme of an enchanted Christmas, so we thought it would be fun to have kind of like a magical forest with the gifts and the bears and things,” Shirts said. “The kids helped me decide, with the theme of the trees and the bear, some gifts and things.”
Shirts said her class of 24 students mostly made the string balls which were hung from the tree, while the other classes made the snowflakes, teddy bears and gifts
Before the students began decorating, Abby Cox read them a children’s Christmas book titled “Bear Stays Up For Christmas.”
The kids then divided into two lines, one for decorating the mantel and the other for placing ornaments on the tree. As the kids decorated, they spoke with the governor and first lady, and some of the students asked the governor for his autograph.
“You know, we have beautiful decorations and professionals that do these beautiful trees, but to have one tree in here that is dedicated to our students, their creativity, their ability to connect and have this opportunity to learn and grow, to me, it’s really special,” Abby Cox said.
Shirts presented Cox and his wife with sweatshirts from their school, and one student gifted the pair two paper Christmas trees he had colored.
After the decorating was complete, the governor took the kids on a tour of the mansion, showing them parts of the building such as the dining room, the grand staircase and the ballroom.
As the governor conducted the tour, he taught the students some of the history of the building while also giving them time to speak with him and ask him questions.
“To have a person in leadership that connects with you on a very personal level, I think that’s life-changing for kiddos, and we want to make sure that they have every opportunity to succeed in whatever they want to do,” Abby Cox said.
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