Del Valle High School Teacher Invited To The White House To Celebrate Student Made Ornaments

A little bit of El Paso is now at the White House this Christmas season!

2,600 students nationwide were chosen to create handmade holiday ornaments that would be displayed on dozens of indoor and outdoor Christmas trees at the White House and of those 2,600 students, 13 were Del Valle High School Students PLUS the only students for the state of Texas!

“I’m more excited for the kids!” said Del Valle High School science teacher Dr. Ramon Benavides. “It’s a legacy for them now. They can share with their kids, grandkids, primos, tias, and everybody, ‘My artwork is at the White House.’”

It was Ramon who had the tough job of selecting the 13 students who would participate in the 2022 America Celebrates ornament program.

The America Celebrates program asks students from one school in every state to create ornaments to celebrate the places they call home.

The ornaments that were created by the 13 Del Valle High School students show the beautiful culture of El Paso including our colorful sunsets and the iconic star on the mountain. They also feature iconic Texas scenes including the bluebonnets, longhorn, and cacti.

58 trees that surround the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park in Washington D.C. will feature the ornaments created by all the students.

“I can’t believe that the art I drew is going to be at the White House – and right in front of the White House!” said Del Valle High School senior Lirio Hinostroza.

The second ornament project for Del Valle High School came from First Lady Jill Biden, who chose to focus this year’s White House decorations on the theme of, "We the People."

The idea behind this project is to remind Americans of what unites them throughout the year, particularly during the holidays.

For this project, Biden requested that students of every State Teacher of the Year design self-portrait ornaments that are now hanging on a Christmas tree in the State Dining Room, which is dedicated to the next generation.

Benavides was the 2022 Texas Teacher of the year and he was tasked with creating his self-portrait which, according to him, wasn’t an easy task.

“I had to create my self-portrait – and of course, I was told that I should stick to science,” Benavides said jokingly. “But it is an honor to have been selected by the state of Texas and the White House to participate in these two ornament programs.

Benavides has been invited to the White House for a ceremony next week to celebrate the self-portrait ornaments and share a few comments about his students’ self-portrait ornaments.

The 2022 National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will also be broadcasted live on CBS on Sunday, December 11th.

https://www.yisd.net/cms/lib/TX01917279/Centricity/Domain/4/Ornaments.mp4