Rose Burke, a quiet fourth-grader from Kenai, was at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday and lit the Capitol Christmas tree.
In unison, the 9-year-old and the speaker of the U.S. House counted down from five, and then Rose threw the switch. An 80-foot Sitka spruce from the Tongass National Forest lit up. The crowd cheered. The U.S. Air Force Band played “O Christmas Tree.”
Rose, a home-schooler, had the honors because she won an essay contest for Alaska fourth-graders. Rose didn’t know she had a talent for writing. She was reluctant at first.
“And I said, ‘There’s a trip to Washington, DC … this is huge. You should try it,’” her mom, Laura Burke recounted. “So she agreed it would be worth trying.”
Rose, her mom and two of her 11 siblings — Camille, 12, and Xavier, 7 — made the trip.
Rose’s essay is about the tree as a symbol of Alaska and a beacon of national harmony. She read it on the Capitol lawn, with a host of dignitaries present, federal, state and tribal.
One line of her essay was particularly striking: “People from all over our country come to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. When they see this majestic Christmas tree, they’ll be reminded of our farthest north state. Though far away, we are united in love for our country.”
Congresswoman Mary Peltola quoted that line in her own speech at the tree lighting ceremony. So did Sen. Lisa Murkowski. House Speaker Mike Johnson referred to it, too.
The tree was harvested Oct. 19 on Zarembo Island, near Wrangell. It travelled 700 miles by sea and 4,000 miles on a flatbed truck to reach the Capitol. The journey was sponsored by nonprofits and corporate donors, among others.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
