News Post

Students in the Building, Design, Engineering, and Architecture (BEDA) club got into the Christmas spirit this month with a gingerbread house competition, submitting their design to the ACE Mentors' program's annual contest for students. 

"The gingerbread competition incorporates all the skills the girls need to win the design competition this spring, on a smaller scale. They had to work collaboratively, determine the subject and design, and plan for materials that would be needed to realize their vision, at a price of under $40," said BEDA Club moderator and Innovation Lab coordinator Nettie Angotti. 

"We divided the club into two separate teams, both competing under the largest structure category," said president Ana '26. "We paired seniors with sophomores and juniors with freshmen to ensure that every group had an even split of novice to veteran club members." The sophomores and seniors designed a castle, while the freshmen and juniors made the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

"They only had one club meeting to execute their plan and build their structure," said Angotti. 

Though she admits a bit of bias, Ana said, "Personally, I am most proud of our castle because our team had to pivot halfway through our design process. Originally, our group wanted to recreate the Sydney Opera House, using Rice Krispies treats to form semicircles similar to the famous structure. However, when crafting the project, we noticed that the structure was not sturdy, and we did not have enough materials to produce the desired result."

A sophomore club member, Caroline, suggested using the sugar cones they had already purchased as turrets and towers to pivot the design to a castle. The group quickly mobilized to finish the project on time.

The hardest material to work with, shared Ana, was the graham crackers: "We wanted to cut them to a specific length and found it difficult to snap off small pieces in a straight line." 

Angotti noted, "Even with such limited time, this group of innovators created something magical." 

"I believe that club members have learned how to be resourceful, taking advantage of their resources in order to adapt to the situation," said Ana. "I also believe that this challenge strengthened our collaboration skills as a group, as it was a beneficial bonding opportunity between upperclassmen and underclassmen."