When the Burke children arrived Friday morning at the Kenai Municipal Airport, they weren’t sure why they were there. They’d speculated, of course. Their father, Toby Burke, said their guesses ventured as far as “meeting the pope.”

They hadn’t considered that Sen. Lisa Murkowski would be there to congratulate 9-year-old Connections Homeschool student Rose Burke for winning the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and to invite her to light the tree next month in Washington, D.C.

“We need somebody to light the tree,” Murkowski said to Rose, standing in the terminal. “Somebody who gets to light the tree is somebody who participated in the essay contest — the best essay. Yours was the best.”

It’s not possible to flip a switch in Kenai, Alaska, and turn on the tree in Washington, D.C., Murkowski said. So, Rose and her family will have to travel to the Capitol for the big celebration.

Rose’s essay, Murkowski said, expresses a wish that the tree from Alaska will bring joy to people across the country.

“I say thank you, to you, for being such an impressive young lady,” Murkowski said.

The essay contest, open only to fourth graders, called for handwritten essays no more than 250 words long. Murkowski announced the contest in a Sept. 16 press release and submissions had to be made by Oct. 4.

Rose’s mother, Laura Burke, said her daughter was challenged to write slow and neat, and that she wanted to share how special Alaska is. Rose has a December birthday and loves Christmas, so Laura said this year’s celebration will be uniquely special for her daughter.

“Everybody loves a Christmas tree,” Laura said. “Everybody can be excited about that.”

Connections Principal Douglas Hayman said, while walking out of the airport Friday, that he encouraged Rose to realize that out of 360 million people in the United States, she’ll be the one person who flips the switch and lights the Christmas tree.

“She earned it through her hard work and her thoughts,” he said. “I want her to feel like she’s powerful and that she can do anything.”

Rose is the second student of the Kenai Peninsula and of Connections Homeschool who’ll have the honor. Anna DeVolld lit the 2015 tree, which was harvested from the Chugach National Forest.

This season’s 80-foot-tall spruce tree was felled on Zarembo Island in the Tongass National Forest on Oct. 19. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the tree was sent off from Ketchikan at the first of 11 nationwide appearances of its “Whistlestop Tour.” It’ll next be seen Friday, Nov. 8, in Baker City, Oregon. More information can be found at “U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree” on Facebook.

Rose joins people from around the state who are contributing to this year’s tree. Over 10,000 handmade ornaments were submitted from around the state, according to a release from the U.S. Forest Service.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, second from left, stands for a photo with the Burke family at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Rose Burke, center left, is celebrated for winning the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest by Connections Homeschool Principal Douglas Hayman, right, at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)