by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer
GULFPORT (GG) — It was a Christmas Party Hop on December 11th, at the Lyman Community Center. The Christmas spirit rang at 4 p.m., as Harrison County’s Journey Program was rockin’ around Christmas trees, each one glowing with the imagination of gifted students from every elementary and middle school in the district. Families shuffled in with Bingo cards, warm smiles, and a mission to find the “Best Tree,” though picking just one felt like choosing a single star in a sky full of them.
Standing merrily at the Lyman Elementary school’s tree was eight-year-old Lorenza, or as his friends like to call him, “Chip.” Beaming with pride, he pointed to his ornament, a 3-D scene in a box with a miniature version of himself. “There’s a turtle and some trees. I painted the trees and had a lot of fun.” It felt “Really good” to see his and his classmates’ work on display.
But, there was more. Playing behind the tree was a montage of student-made stop motion clips. Here is what the mini filmmaker had to say about his work: “I got one of the little stick figure things. And another one, and then I moved them. Then I take a picture, and then I keep moving them, and I take a picture, and when you watch the video, it makes it look like it’s a stop motion. It’s really cool!”
A few trees over, another eight-year-old added his own work to this forest of creativity. Reed, a second-grader from Woolmarket Elementary, nodded proudly toward a 3-D printed bat ornament perched in the branches.
Showing off his work, he said it felt “Good. It was fun.” He explained the reason behind the batty branches: “Because we were keeping our Ocean Guardian school title, and it was making bat houses.”
Woolmarket Elementary for 2024–2025 is Mississippi’s first and only NOAA Ocean Guardian School. The program supports projects such as developing a sustainability garden, installing rain barrels, partnering with experts, and broadening environmental education. The bat tree grew from the students’ discovery of the species and their plans to support them—a tiny celebration of stewardship, tucked into tinsel.
Families gathered around displays, checking off squares on Scavenger Hunt Bingo cards, savoring food-truck treats, and waving at Santa and pointing at the Grinch. Every tree represented a chapter of what these students have been learning, imagining, and building together, symbolizing their innovation, action, and design.
Whether it was a tree full of animals, Tim Burton-esque portraits, playful scenes, or paper-mache air balloons, it was clear that each student felt immense joy in creating something that got to shine in public.
(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)
