Two dozen third and fourth grade students at Eagle Grove Elementary School designed and decorated paper ornaments to adorn a Christmas tree on the grounds of the White House as part of the America Celebrate program.

“Any time there is a project that is going to get my kids’ art out there, I am all for it,” said EGES art teacher Meghan Erdman. “I believe in getting materials into the hands of kids. I work in a community with lower income families, so it is important for me to help provide opportunities to get kids to create, to share their feelings and emotions, and to share their ideas with each other, to express and explore through art.”

The Iowa tree is one of 58 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park outside the White House. The trees represent states, territories and schools managed by the Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Erdman isn’t sure how, but the Eagle Grove students were invited to represent Iowa this holiday season.

“The students thought it was super exciting that our ornaments are going to be where the President is,” Erdman said.

Erdman selected four students from each of the third and fourth grade sections of art class to create the paper ornaments. The theme of the ornaments was “What Makes Iowa Beautiful.”

“We brainstormed and we discussed ideas like barns, animals, the state bird,” she said.

The ornaments were unveiled in Washington DC on Nov. 20. The 100th annual National Christmas Tree lighting was Dec. 11 and can be found on CBS.com.

The Christmas ornaments will remain on the trees for public viewing through Jan. 1. The President’s Park Facebook page also features photos of the ornaments.

When the ornaments are taken down at the end of the holiday season, they’ll be added to the collection of the National Archives.

“When I shared with the students that their art will forever live in Washington D.C., their jaws hit the floor,” Erdman said. “Some students have never traveled as far as Fort Dodge, so I showed them on a map where their artwork will be displayed.”

Since the students wouldn’t be able to travel to Washington to see their ornaments on the Christmas tree, Erdman set up a sister tree in her classroom and decorated it with copies of the ornaments the students created.

The America Celebrates program is sponsored by the National Parks Foundation. This year, more than 2,600 students participated in the program.