Peppermint windows, frosted shingles and a chocolate bar chimney -- oops, someone ate the chocolate.
No problem. It’s all a part of the fun happening on the Annual Gingerbread House Construction Tour, organized and run by Cooks and Bakers Club, a student volunteer cooking troupe from Delcastle Technical High School.
The event, sponsored by Hy-Point Dairy, Barnes & Noble, Simon & Schuster Books, and WJBR 99.5, celebrates its sixth year of community service, as students in the club introduce young participants to the science of cooking all around town. They provide the icing on the cake for the holiday season in settings open to the public like the Newark Library, as well as in private settings for special needs groups like the kids staying at Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington.
It is service learning at its best, said James Berman, culinary arts instructor at Delcastle.
“Applying what they learn takes it to the next level. They have to multi-task, because that’s what employers are looking for. They develop leadership, write grants and create logos. They own this event,” said Berman.
Delcastle senior Rachel Payne enjoyed taking the gingerbread tour to the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington last year, because it was good to see the kids and their families participate, and because the event made her feel like a kid again.
Senior Jenee Manlove, said the event had a big effect on her. Last year, she brought her 4-year-old God sister, and to this day, the gingerbread house she made is still on display, and she’s already asking about this year’s event.
Sophomore Admin Hernandez said he loves baking, pastry and decorating cakes. He has never worked with kids before and was a little nervous.
Even so, everyone gets a lot out of giving in the club.
“I like seeing how creative they can be,” said junior Brandon Lindell, admiring how some kids got creative and wrote their names with icing.
