It was a cold and cloudy morning, Tuesday, Feb. 5, when the Powell High School received something that warmed the students’ hearts and brought sunshine to their day.

A letter addressed to PHS was written by President Donald Trump, commending the art students for their replica of the White House and previous historic monuments.

The letter stated:

“Students of Powell High School

Powell, Wyoming

Dear Students,

I recently learned about the efforts and time you have dedicated to building tremendous replicas of some of our Nation’s most iconic and historic sites. The First Lady and I enjoyed seeing the picture of you working on the White House model, and we think it looks terrific! We are continually inspired by the creativity of our Nation’s talented students and admire your teamwork in accomplishing these tasks.

Our Nation will soon look to you and your generation for leadership, and I have no doubt that our country will continue to prosper and succeed with your help and determination.

Keep up the good work!

With best wishes,”

And at the bottom, his inked signature finalized the message.

Longtime art teacher at Powell High School Mr. Jim Gilman was beyond grateful for the letter, given that something so significant has never been directly addressed to Powell High School such as a genuine letter from President Trump.

“I think it reaffirms to myself to keep doing these things, keep doing these projects,” Mr. Gilman said. “We look at them and call them an adventure and they are. And there’s ups and downs everyday and it’s stressful and there’s things that go wrong and things that go right.”

Over the years, Mr. Gilman has expressed his pride for his previous and current students.

“I think it adds to the whole adventure that makes it all worthwhile. It makes you wanna go ‘Hey, we should keep doing this, this a lot of fun.’”

To top it off, PHS art students are currently working on a Blackhawk helicopter. With this new addition they’ve been working on since the beginning of the school year, it will uphold their transportation themed 3-D art around the school.

“It was very frustrating, but it was really cool seeing how everything came together,” said junior and art student Hannah Saville.

Many art class students were overjoyed about the letter, saying they felt privileged the President took time to acknowledge all their hard work.

“I was very surprised and greatly honored that the President took the time to write to us and send us that, which I thought was pretty cool, and it’s just a huge honor,” Saville said.