Festive gingerbread house construction USA style comes to the UK

The construction of gingerbread houses at this time of year is a common phenomenon in the USA, but a very new seasonal activity to the UK and to Kidderminster’s Holy Trinity International School (HTIS) students, who undeterred took biscuits, chocolate buttons and many other sweetie construction goodies to help create their very own gingerbread mansions.

As part of their end of term festive activities, and joining fellow pupils at Boca Prep International School in Boca Raton, Florida, HTIS students created individual masterpieces through to joint-House collaboration gingerbread structures able to allow students inside and to close the door.

Headteacher Mr Graham Hurrell said: “The construction of Gingerbread houses is popular in the USA, and so we used our International connection with our sister school, Boca Prep in Florida, as our inspiration, to help the students create their very own gingerbread masterpieces.”

The gingerbread creations were fashioned in the space of a day with much interest and ginger activity from pupils in both the prep and senior schools, with many House creations standing as tall as 4ft.

Said Mr Hurrell: “The students have done an amazing job. What creativity and enthusiasm they have all shown. It has been an absolute delight to see them getting wholly involved and using their imaginations to come up with some simply inspiring works of art. What a fitting way to end our winter term.”

The HTIS students built all their houses with only minor support from teaching staff, as and when necessary. The House Competition between the four school Houses in both the junior and senior school competitions was won by Trinity House, judged by the Head Mr Graham Hurrell and Deputy Head, Mrs Pam Leek-Wright, with the prep school Gingerbread House now going on to be ‘up-cycled’ and forming a new story-time ‘learning space’ in the new spring term.

Teamwork, creativity as well as thinking ecologically through the use of recycled materials supported the school’s EcoSchools Committee activities and ethos, as they hope to become a Green Flag school in the future.

Issued: 16/12/2010