Students decorate Christmas trees inside Lewis Ginter library with diversity

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Dominion Garden Fest of Lights is a nice time to get outside and see beautiful holiday lights and decorations.

But Katrina Spears, Library and Archives Manager at Lewis Ginter, said while you’re there, you should take a moment to go inside to their library.

"I love bringing families into the library. We have a popular story time. We have a popular children's library here at the garden," said Spears.

And now, the library also has Christmas trees. The decorations on them are rather special, homemade by kids like Canaan Ward, who is a third-grader at Greenwood Elementary School.

"We did the colors. The orange and red and stuff like that. And then we had Q-tips to dip in white paint and like dip it all over the sides of the butterfly," described Ward.

The decorations tie in with the Virginia Standards of Learning.

"The class made a point to interpret a book and the decorations on the tree in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month," said Greenwood Art Teacher April Barlett.

"We are connecting diversity and languages and math and science. And that was our project."

"I hope that when they come in the library to see the trees, they feel so proud of their accomplishments," said Spears. “Thousands of people are coming through here every night when they visit the trees. And so many of them have been complimentary about what the kids have accomplished."

The gift of learning for the holidays.

Building Christmas ornaments… is Building Better Minds.