Deer Park Students Savor Gingerbread Traditions

DEER PARK, NY - Across the Deer Park School District, students, families and teachers savored the season with enduring gingerbread traditions.

In Paula Behrens’ family and consumer science class at Robert Frost Middle School, eighth-graders continue an annual tradition of exploring gingerbread making from scratch, learning dough manufacturing and piping.

The students baked their own gingerbread pieces, cut their own bases, and figured out how many batches of dough to make for the class, then finished with piping and decorating.

“I had never made gingerbread from scratch before, so I really enjoyed it,” said Mya Perkins. “I also learned which icing to use.”

At both John Quincy Adams and May Moore primary schools, kindergartners were visited by family members for a festive morning of decorating gingerbread houses.

“It’s great to have all the families together, working with their young ones to enjoy the season,” said JQA teacher Joe Bottino.

“This is an all-time favorite holiday activity and has become one of the most anticipated holiday traditions in my classroom,” said May Moore teacher Tammy Cotrone. “The students and their families love building and decorating gingerbread houses. For us adults, it gives us a little bit of our childlike wonder back. Just because we’re grown up doesn’t mean we don’t still enjoy the ‘sweet’ things in life.”

Photos courtesy of the Deer Park School District