North Fayette Vo-Tech class creates gingerbread houses to raise funds
CONNELLSVILLE – The front entrance of the North Fayette Vocational-Technical School has been transformed into a wonderland of graham crackers, icing, and pretzels as students prepare for the annual gingerbread house display. The food service students were again challenged this year by class instructor Richard Rosensteel to express their creativity to design and then construct an all-edible house.
Although the challenge strained school supplies of powdered sugar, gumdrops, M&M’s, coconut and eggs, Rosensteel said the students had a “great time” creating the unique structures.
Nicole Cornish, Destiny Molter and April McFadden worked jointly to create a cabin-like house.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Cornish.
The trio scoured the Internet for a blueprint of a structure they believed could be built of graham crackers and icing.
“It takes a lot of different skills to create a design,” said Rosensteel. “The walls and roof must support one another and then the students have to determine how to fit in windows and what materials they will use.”
Jimmy Smith and Shawn Sage constructed a lighthouse as their display.
“We looked at a lot of lighthouses and came up with one of our own,” said Smith.
Rosensteel estimated that the students spent nearly 20 hours completing the individual houses.
Last year, the displays were entered into the Pittsburgh Plate Glass competition which was held in conjunction with the Pittsburgh annual light-up night celebration. The students received a second place award in the high school division.
The houses were then sold with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospital.
Rosensteel said the competition was held in November and students were unable to meet the earlier registration.
More than a dozen of the houses will be auctioned off during the upcoming week as a fund-raising effort for the class.
Rosensteel said those interested in purchasing a house will be asked to complete a form and note a bid for the structure. A minimum bid of $10 is required.
The bids will be reviewed Dec. 20 and the winners contacted to come to the school and receive their house.
The displays can be viewed during regular school hours. For additional information, contact Rosensteel at 724-626-1895.