Alderwood student art chosen in Mayor's holiday card selections for 2025

What do sloths and dragons have to do with wintry scenes in Bellingham? The answer: more than you can imagine.

Alderwood Elementary School students submitted dozens of drawings to City Hall for the mayor to choose from for her 2025 holiday card.

Three student drawings were selected among the submissions for special commendation and each student will receive a personalized note from Mayor Kim Lund.

The artwork of Jennaveve (Jenna) Kensok, third grader at Alderwood Elementary School, was chosen to appear on the front of the holiday card. The drawing of Aviana (Avi) Soules, also a third grader, was chosen as the runner-up. Both of those students are in the classroom of Kellie Goodman and Sara Hanes.

In her winning drawing called Sloth of Bellingham, Jenna shared thoughts on why she chose the different parts of her drawing. “I know that the sloth is like Bellingham," she explained, perhaps making an allusion to the City of Bellingham's moniker as the City of Subdued Excitement. 

"I wanted to add wind because in winter it is windy and snowy here," Jenna continued. "I also added trees because trees are a tradition for my family for winter. I wrote ‘I love it’ for the girl talking because it is beautiful and the girl loves the mountains and all the snow.”

Avi described her runner-up drawing in detail as well, sharing the following: “I drew snowflakes because usually where I grew up in Alaska a lot of snow comes down in the winter. I drew Mount Baker because it is the mountain that I know is really close to my house. I drew the cabins because I feel like they would be really warm and cozy for people that come. I drew the firepits because usually people do that when it is cold. I drew the snowmen because it is a tradition for my family to make a bunch of snowmen and see whose is the best. And we like to decorate the trees with lights.”

Both Jenna and Avi have plans for the winter break which include a lot of family time. Jenna said "I love to spend time with my family. I always get my cat his favorite treat. My grandma comes over."  Avi is looking forward to seeing her siblings and shared "They are so fun to play with. We go sledding a lot and we like to get hot cocoa. I am also looking forward to going up to Mount Baker."

An honorable mention was given to Lincoln Deck, a fourth grader in Jayme Rios' classroom, for his drawing entitled Ice Dragn (sic). Staff in the mayor's office have been enjoying the dragon in the past few weeks as it hangs temporarily in the conference room during the holiday season. "I am really good at drawing dragons," Lincoln said when asked about his drawing, "and couldn’t think of anything else."

And to clarify what is happening in the drawing he shared "I wanted to show a dragon building a snowman. He is not taking apart the snowman. He’s helping to build the snowman."

Over winter break, Lincoln said he is looking forward to “sleeping a lot and reading books!”  “We are reading Narnia as a family,” he shared, “and I am reading Harry Potter.”

“I am also looking forward to seeing snow because it didn’t snow last winter break and I hope it does this year.”

Going back to the sloths — We checked in with teacher Kellie Goodman about the sloths found throughout this year's batch of drawings. She reported the idea was generated among the students. "The theme of sloths came from the kids," she shared. "We discussed how the sloth has become Bellingham’s mascot. They also think that sloths are an adorable animal.”

Recenly, sloths have been popping up around town, including the famous one that started it all perhaps that hangs in a tree along I-5. And this year they have found a special place on Mayor Lund's annual holiday card.

Be sure to scroll through a few more of the submitted drawings above to see how many different sloths you can find.

The 2025 holiday message from Mayor Kim Lund as it appears on the card

"Reflecting on my second year as Mayor, I am deeply grateful for our community and the people who make Bellingham such a special place to live.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. May this time offer a chance to slow down and savor the moments that matter most."
Mayor Kim Lund, City of Bellingham, Washington