Christmas Island Style Collectible Ornaments

By Coastal Breeze News Staff

Every year students at Marco Island Charter Middle School are challenged with creating a new design for a Christmas Island Style collectible ornament. The theme for the 2017 ornament was a “Hibiscus Flower” and it received 137 entries. That made the task of choosing a winner very difficult for the judges.

Judging took place at the Marco Island Center for the Arts on Nov. 16th.  This year’s judges were Collier County Commissioner Donna Fiala, Curt Koon, owner of CJ’s on the Bay and president of the Marco Island

Police Foundation; Katie O’Hara, the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce’s director of sales and marketing; Steve Josselyn, government affairs chairman for the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors; Hyla Crane, executive director of the Marco Island Center for the Arts; Roy Birkeland of the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation and Bette McGilvray of Christmas Island Style.

The winning design was created by eighth grade student Fabiola Lopez. Her design will be featured on next year’s collectible ornament. The second place ribbon went to seventh grader Reese Bonfitto and third place went to eighth grade

student Caitlyn Libby. Honorable mentions went to Tegan Desormeau, seventh grade, Julian Totten, eighth grade and Kasey Hunt, seventh grade.

These talented students will be honored at the Christmas Island Style Tree Lighting event on Dec. 3 at Veterans Community Park.

The 2016 ornament features an owl design. Ornaments can be found at various outlets on Marco Island including Salon and Spa Botanica, the Center for the Arts, Keep in Touch, Marco Island Florist, the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce and the Marco Island Craft and Shell Company. They can also be purchased through the Christmas Island Style website, christmasislandstyle.com.