A fourth grader from Virginia City is representing Nevada on one of the biggest holiday stages in the country. Nine-year-old Grady Armstrong, a student at Hugh Gallagher Elementary School, was selected to light Silver Belle, the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree harvested from Nevada for the very first time.

Grady won the honor after taking first place in a statewide essay contest with more than 250 entries. His essay focused on Nevada’s public lands and national forests, and why they deserve to be protected and appreciated. He said he wanted the rest of the country to understand how special Nevada’s public land and national forests are, and he included examples about enjoying and caring for those spaces. The essay took him about three days to write, a stretch he jokingly described as involving blood, sweat and tears after spending long hours working on it. He said he wrote most of it himself.

This week marks Grady’s first trip to Washington, D.C. and his first time on an airplane. He said he was surprised to enjoy the takeoff and the turns in the air, describing the lightheaded feeling as one of his favorite parts of the flight.

Once in the nation’s capital, he visited the Kennedy Center to watch the Nutcracker, the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument and caught a glimpse of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. He said mostly everything about Washington, D.C. has been a favorite so far, including the hotel, housekeeping staff, and the history he is seeing up close.

Grady and his two younger sisters at the Hall of Democracy (Armstrong family)

Nearly his entire family has traveled across the country to be there for his big moment, including his parents, two sisters, grandparents and other relatives arriving throughout the week. Grady said it means a lot to have so many loved ones celebrating with him.

He also shared how meaningful it feels to represent the small community of Virginia City and all of Nevada in front of the nation. When asked what he loves most about his home state, he said everything. He talked about exploring wildlife near his home in the Highlands with his family and described watching a colorful sparrow bathe in a rain puddle on their property. He said it reminded him of seeing birds in Washington, D.C., similar in some ways but in a very different setting.

The Armstrong family before watching the Nutcrack at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (Armstrong family)

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Grady’s connection to Silver Belle began long before he arrived in Washington. He was there the day the tree was harvested in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and later rode alongside it in the Nevada Day Parade. He said his favorite part of the journey so far has been seeing the tree harvested, watching it get decorated and then seeing it in person outside the Capitol. He also sent a special ornament with the tree, a wooden mountain bluebird, which is Nevada’s state bird.

Grady gives challenge coin to Washington D.C. firefighters, thanks them for their work (Armstrong family)

With the ceremony approaching, Grady said he feels mostly excited and only a little nervous. He thanked everyone back home for supporting him, especially classmates and community members who encouraged him to enter the contest. He shared a message about hard work, saying this experience shows that you can accomplish big things if you reach for the stars, repeating advice from his mom. He has already started collecting souvenirs to remember the trip, including challenge coins and autographs he plans to display in his room.

Grady will read his winning essay alongside Speaker Mike Johnson and light Silver Belle on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., marking a historic first as Nevada’s tree takes its place on the Capitol lawn.

You can read his full essay below:

Dear Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony,

Hi! My name is Grady Armstrong and I’m in the 4th grade at Hugh Gallagher Elementary School in Virginia City, Nevada. My Grandpa worked at Mount Rose area for nearly 50 years, and my Dad Brent Armstrong is a firefighter at Lake Tahoe. My mom, Rhianna Armstrong, is a teacher right here in Virginia City. They have shown me the love of the forest, nature, and the outdoors.

I want the country to know how special Nevada’s national forests and public lands are. These lands are full of wonder from big animals like elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and even moose, to small animals like fish, lizards, and birds. Hiking with my family, I have seen water bubble out of the earth in places that look super dry. These springs give life to so many plants and animals. Sometimes you can find arrowheads near the springs, a reminder of the life they gave tribes that lived off the land. We also love seeing ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks by people who lived here long ago.

My favorite wilderness areas are Mount Rose and Arc Dome. We’ve also visited the Sheldon Antelope Refuge and the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary, where the night sky is so dark you can see millions of stars!

One of my favorite things to do is when our family takes what my mom and dad call “Nevada highways,” which are nothing more than dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. We’ve found ghost towns, abandoned mines, and the most amazing untouched landscapes.

You don’t need to go far to enjoy Nevada. Right from my school playground you can look east for hundreds of miles over the mountain ranges that make up the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Last month, we went to the top of Mt. Davidson and watched the sunset over the Sierras and, at the same time, howled at the full moon as it rose over the Nevada landscape.

Nevada is not just a desert. It’s full of life, history, and beauty. I think everyone in the country should know how important it is to enjoy and protect these amazing places.

Grady Armstrong

P.S. We went to the camel races too! I hope you enjoyed your visit.