West Jefferson Hills life-skills students create gingerbread houses for annual competition

Thomas Jefferson High School and Pleasant Hills Middle School Life Skills students had the opportunity to create gingerbread houses for the annual PPG Place Gingerbread House Display and Competition while reinforcing valuable real-world skills. Students worked in groups to develop a project plan which included researching gingerbread house themes, photos and materials online, creating a materials list, and shopping together at local stores to purchase their supplies. Students devoted a few hours of class time per week to decorate and add the finishing touches to their houses before they were delivered to PPG Place for the gingerbread house display. The project was capped off by a field trip on Dec. 5, 2018, to visit PPG Wintergarden for students to view the display, answer comprehensive questions, navigate the city following safety procedures and purchase lunch all within a budget. Every year, PPG hosts the display with admission “donations” going to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Free Care Fund throughout the exhibit.