Fairview Second Graders Build Gingerbread Villages, Families Visit

On Friday, December 19, 2025, the second grade hallway at Fairview Elementary became a miniature town as students displayed classroom gingerbread villages for families during an open house. Each child contributed a cottage, business or public gathering spot constructed from items found in cupboards, turning classrooms into a hands on showcase of creativity and collaboration.

Details ranged from a small pond filled with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish to a sporting goods store with graham cracker walls that appeared to supply villagers with ice skates. The project in Mrs. Cheatham’s class and across the grade combined edible materials such as marshmallows and candy canes with recycled household items, emphasizing low cost materials and imaginative design.

The project was in its 36th year, and it predates the National Gingerbread House Competition at Asheville’s Historic Grove Park Inn, underlining the longevity of the school tradition in Buncombe County. The event also served as an introduction to school life for newcomers. “I didn’t know we’d get to do anything like this,” she shared. “It was fun using the marshmallows and candy canes.”

For local families the open house offered more than seasonal charm. Events like this provide informal opportunities for parents and caregivers to connect with teachers, observe student progress and contribute time or materials to school activities. From an educational perspective the exercise supports fine motor development, cooperative problem solving and project planning at an early grade level while requiring only modest expenditures for supplies.

As schools across the region weigh programming priorities, long standing traditions such as Fairview’s gingerbread villages illustrate how school based community engagement can deliver educational value and strengthen neighborhood ties without large budgets. For Buncombe County residents, the display was a reminder that small scale, recurring school traditions help sustain social capital and bring families together during the holiday season.