FHS students build gingerbread houses for Fantasy of Trees
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Farragut High School nutrition across the lifespan sophomore Farrah McKeehan, left, gets some advice from her teacher, Lynsey Flatford, as they look at completed houses. - Tammy Cheek
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Farragut High School nutrition across the lifespan juniors Eden Taio, back, and Ava Stanger work on decorations for their gingerbread house. - Tammy Cheek
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Farragut High School nutrition across the lifespan juniors Sarah Elliott, left, and Reese Tucker work on their gingerbread house. - Tammy Cheek
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A sample of the completed gingerbread houses - Tammy Cheek
Farragut High School’s nutrition across the lifespan class is in gear to present their gingerbread houses for the Fantasy of Trees.
This year’s Fantasy of Trees, which benefits East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, is slated from 7 to 10 p.m., Wednesday, through Sunday, Nov. 26-30, in Knoxville Convention Center, 701 Henley St., Knoxville. The gala will take place Tuesday, Nov. 25.
It attracts nearly 60,000 people with its 330 beautifully designed trees, holiday accessories, mantles, gingerbread houses and more.
“It’s been around since I was a little girl,” Lynsey Flatford, who teaches the nutrition and dietetics pathway at the school, said about the fundraiser.
“It’s really important to me,” she added.
Of the gingerbread houses expected to be sold at the event, FHS’s students will be furnishing 18. Flatford said the houses generally sell from $150 to $250 each.
Her class has been involved with the Fantasy of Trees, which benefits East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, since 2012. That’s when her class attended the event and saw “all the gingerbread houses, and some made by Greenback High School.
“I called the (GHS) teacher, and she showed me the ropes,” Flatford said. “I just decided I wanted my kids to participate. Children’s Hospital’s a great resource for our community, and I really liked having the kids do things that benefit community service projects in class.
“So, I figured this was a way to give back,” she added.
“We’ve been doing it twice a year since (2012).”
“I’m super excited about the gingerbread houses,” said sophomore Hope Blackiston, who is in the class. “It’s taught me a lot about the architecture of houses … and it’s so much fun.”
Flatford’s class is composed mostly of a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors, some taking the class as an elective for fun while others are taking it because they have chosen the nutrition pathway, which is part of the health and human sciences academy at FHS.
“They work for an hour and a half each day, and it usually takes them four weeks (to complete the houses),” Flatford said. “What’s great about this project is it’s kind of all encompassing.
“They get to be a part of their community and a part of bettering and improving their community through donating the houses to Children’s Hospital — that’s important,” she added. “They also learn basic cooking and decorating skills, but they also have (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills.
“To me, this is a STEM project, so science, technology, engineering and math all go into this project.,” Flatford added.
Also, she said students learn such soft skills as communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, time management, planning and making goals.
“This is a big project, and it is all made from scratch,” Flatford said. “They have to plan everything from recipe all the way to final product. They get to chose what style of house they’re doing.”
For more about Fantasy of Trees, visit: https://www.etch.com/ways-to-give/events/fantasy-of-trees/
