A burst of holiday cheer overtook the FTHS cafeteria on Wednesday as kids of all ages participated in the annual Gingerbread House Party!

Starting at 6:00, everyone was welcome to construct their very own Gingerbread House, which would later be judged by a small panel of judges. Fun and festive prizes were received by the winners of each category, and they were welcome to celebrate their victory by dancing with the Holiday DJ or snapping a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

“My favorite part is how excited the kids get when they see all the gingerbread houses!” said English teacher Joseph DiGiuseppe, coordinator of the event.

Students from the Octagon club helped the little kids assemble and decorate their own houses.  They used graham crackers, icing, and all sorts of colorful candies to make their houses unique.

Girls from the Art Club volunteered too, and many kids happily left the party with snowmen, Christmas trees, unicorns, sharks, and penguins beautifully painted on their faces.

Aside from the enthusiastic holiday fun, the proceeds collected from the event go to an extremely worthy cause.

“All proceeds from the event go towards Love, Annaleigh, which is a charity that my wife and I started a few years ago in memory of our daughter Annaleigh, who died from complications due to extreme prematurity,” said DiGiuseppe. “We were obviously greatly impacted by the circumstances, so we decided that we wanted to do something for the people who are in similar situations.”

Love, Annaleigh is a non-profit organization that works to support children and families of local NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units) and PICUs (Pediatric Intensive Care Units). Whether it is raising money or collecting a few items such as clothes and toys, Love, Annaleigh never fails to provide for both the families and employees of the NICU and PICU.

“Our goal is to make the hospital stays a little easier for the kids and families who are stuck in the hospital for extended amounts of time,” said DiGiuseppe.

And that they did! When all was said and done, the Gingerbread House Party raised just under $800. This money will be used for various things, such as new medical equipment to help further advance the NICU and PICU’s technology.

DiGiuseppe is optimistic about the future of Love, Annaleigh and hopes to collaborate with FTHS on a few more events.

“We do events several times per year, but this is the only event that involves FTHS.  We’d love to expand and do more, so we’ll see what the future brings.”

While supporting a wonderful cause, the Gingerbread House Party was a huge success as well as a cherished memory!