GLENDALE : Student Project Puts Icing on the Presidency

They’re cute.

They’re sweet.

They’re gingerbread houses.

Students from the Glendale Unified School District’s four middle schools and three high schools designed, baked and decorated the miniature buildings--all decked out along a 40-foot table at the Red Lion Hotel in Glendale.

The exhibit will remain on display in the lobby until Christmas Eve, hotel officials said. Train tracks, a locomotive and other scenery have been added to give the showcase more of a village atmosphere.

Hotel officials came up with the idea in an effort to recognize student creativity, said Janet Waldie, Red Lion’s director of sales and marketing. Participating students received free T-shirts from the hotel.

“You hear so much about the bad in the news,” Waldie said. “This is going to show good light on what students can do.”

School officials said the student pieces were a combination of assignments and voluntary special projects for home economics and food classes.

The miniature Christmas village features an icing-covered White House--complete with gingerbread President Clinton and family--an English castle with ice cream cones for spiked roofs and a Tudor-style chateau with an Oreo cookie roof.

Foods teacher Carolyn Baker of Hoover High School said three of her students volunteered to work on the 25-inch-long, 15-inch-wide, 15-inch-tall White House replica. Sophomore Liana Karanyan and juniors Sarine Melik and Kara Walters spent two weeks mixing and molding 30 pounds of powdered sugar, molasses and three dozen egg whites.

“They went to the library and got a whole bunch of books about the White House,” Baker said. “They tried to be really accurate.”

Because of the holiday season, the three girls also decided to adorn the White House roof with Santa Claus, his sleigh and reindeer.

“We wanted to do something big,” Sarine said. “We thought of doing something historical and we chose the White House. It took a lot of hard work, deciding where to put the windows.”

Glendale High student Cindy Thoman, who whipped up a small cottage with Lifesavers candy surrounding the front door, said the experience taught her not only about baking, but about building and designing a home as well.

“It was a really fun project,” said the 16-year-old junior.

And what happens after Christmas?

“(I’ll) put it in my house for a display,” Cindy said. “And maybe, after awhile, eat it.”