An (Edible) Roof Over Their Heads

Kimberly Swanson, left, and Matthew Taylor won this year's Gingerbread House contest at Pottstown High School's Culinary Arts Program

Blogger's Note: More news from the John Armato's Pottstown School District News Service:

The Pottstown High School Culinary Arts students let their artistic juices flow as they participated in the 4th annual Gingerbread House Design and Making Contest. 

Darrin Cooper with his second-place creation.

Instructor Chef Mary Jo Kuhwald said, “this is a great activity that gives students the opportunity to practice their showpiece-making skills. Teams of students create their own theme and design for their houses and landscaping and then must be creative in developing the edible materials to build their dream house.”

Culinary arts students Darien Hain and Robbie McCoy agreed that, “we had a lot of fun with this activity because we could use our own ideas to create our house and enjoyed being able to eat the end results after the competition was judged.”

Co-creator Alyssa Wanish with the third place winner.

On the day of the event, the competitive spirits of each team rose to a high level as they displayed their works of art to students passing in the hallway on their way to lunch. 

The winner of the competition was determined by donation votes made by students and teachers. The fundraising aspect of the competition helped the culinary arts students raise money to be used for field trips and class uniforms.

The winning teams included:

Darin Hain and Robbie McCoy are ready to eat their work.

Ø First place - Kimberly Swanson and Matthew Taylor

Ø Second place - Darrin Cooper

Ø Third Place - Alyssa Wanish and Hannah Irvin

Champions Swanson and Taylor enjoyed the limelight and pointed out, “there’s a lot of satisfaction from seeing people appreciate your efforts.”