Superintendent Jill Davis and the entire school community are celebrating Greater Lowell Technical High School (GLTHS) culinary arts students who designed and constructed a gingerbread house that placed first in this year’s Jinglefest contest on Dec. 7.
For six class periods, 10 senior culinary arts students worked on a rural farmhouse and barn winter gingerbread scene as part of their “Sweet Structures: Edible Engineering” project.
While working on the design and structure of the house, students faced challenges ensuring that the gingerbread dough was consistently rolled and cut for precise assembly, which they overcame using teamwork to work diligently in making the necessary adjustments to perfect their pieces.
Once their house was completed, the students submitted their scene to compete in the third annual gingerbread house contest at Jinglefest, the town of Dunstable’s annual holiday festival.
Jinglefest organizers Jon Hughes and Erica Flynn supported GLTHS students in the competition by collecting the student’s submissions and helping to showcase the student’s exceptional work.
GLTHS culinary arts students, culinary arts teacher Sarah Samaros and Jinglefest organizer Jon Hughes. (Photo Courtesy GLTHS)
More than 500 visitors attended the contest, and the students creation won the vote for first place.
“It is truly rewarding to see my students work so diligently and with such determination,” said Culinary Arts Instructor Sarah Samaros. “Their teamwork, creativity, and dedication to this project have been inspiring, and this win is a testament to their hard work and the value of hands-on learning.”
The project allowed students to employ their skills in creativity, collaboration and technical precision, in line with GLTHS’ mission to provide student-centered learning and real-world applications to prepare students for meaningful community contributions.
The accomplishment additionally highlights the importance of a vocational education in fostering confidence, creativity, and a sense of pride in student work.
“I am so proud of our class. The 10 of us worked together for six class periods and were able to create a house that was structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing. It is an added bonus that we won first place,” said senior culinary arts student Gabby Lopez. “This proves that technical education is valuable and it shouldn’t be considered less than a traditional high school education.”
