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Government Hill Elementary School and AT&T add festive glow to neighborhood

ANCHORAGE, AK, Nov. 22, 2011 — Students from Government  Hill Elementary School will brighten the holidays for their friends, neighbors  and the city when they join AT&T* in lighting a 157-foot holiday tree on  top of AT&T's 250-foot communications tower.

The lighting of the tree, created from hundreds of  multicolored bulbs, is set for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23—just in time to  kick off the holiday season. This annual event is eagerly anticipated by  Government Hill Elementary students, 14 of whom will be randomly selected to  flip breaker switches to illuminate the tree.

"The students and staff at Government Hill Elementary  School really look forward to this event as a great way to begin the holiday  season," said Principal Brian Singleton.

The event will begin with a school assembly at which each  student's name is placed in a bucket corresponding to the student's grade. Two  students from each grade will be chosen randomly to be official tree-lighters.  After the names are drawn, all students will make the short walk to the tower.  Following spirited singing of time-honored holiday carols, the lucky 14 are  given hardhats to wear and invited into a special area to flip the tree's light  switches.

"AT&T is pleased to welcome the students of  Government Hill Elementary, and to continue the tradition of our tree lighting  ceremony marking the beginning of another joyous holiday season," said Shawn  Uschmann, director of sales of AT&T Alaska.

The tree, designed and built by " employees,  features 850 amber, yellow and green light bulbs. The annual tree-lighting is a  20-year tradition for AT&T and the Government Hill community.

For more information about AT&T, please visit http://www.att.com/alaska.