Excited cheers filled the air as the Christmas tree atop the AT&T tower lit up Monday, with students from Government Hill Elementary School helping bring the massive display to life. The event has been a beloved Anchorage tradition for 34 years.

Each year, AT&T partners with Government Hill Elementary to choose students for the honor of flipping the switches. Students are selected at random during a school assembly.

Troy Hitt, who helps coordinate the event, said it’s always a special moment. He said, “It’s just really special to see the excitement in their faces and their eyes light up when they hear their name called, that they're going to be one of the helpers to help us light the tree.”

With assistance from an AT&T worker, students turned on different sections of the tree, lighting

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