Sue Repa, pastoral associate at Divine Mercy Parish in South Milwaukee, helps eighth graders Cal Branger, center, and Ken Bustos put the finishing touches on a ginger bread replica of the school campus. When the school’s 8th grade class was in K4, Ripa started making ginger bread projects with them every year until third grade. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero).

Eighth graders complete tasty graduation project

By Sam Lucero Catholic Herald Staff

SOUTH MILWAUKEE — When members of Divine Mercy School’s 2007 graduating class were kindergarten classmates, Sue Repa, a school volunteer and mother of kindergartener Natalie Repa, helped the children make a ginger bread house as a class Christmas project. Every Christmas, for four years, Repa returned to the school, and the ginger bread project became a yearly ritual.

When Natalie’s sister, Audrey, entered first grade, Repa decided to begin the gingerbread project with Audrey’s class. However, Repa made a promise to Natalie’s classmates. She agreed to help them make a ginger bread house when they graduated from Divine Mercy.

“They held me to that promise,” said Repa May 22, as she watched students put the final touches on a special ginger bread house.

Unlike the ginger bread houses constructed in previous years, this project was a replica of Divine Mercy School, including outdoor landscaping and parking area. It took Repa and the 29 eighth graders several weeks to plan the project and put it together.

“I worked with them in small groups for a couple of weeks now and it’s all coming together,” she said.

The project is made of ginger bread and a lot of other edible materials, including graham crackers, licorice, chocolate, pretzels, ice cream cones, Cheerios and melted Tootsie Rolls.

“They did the baking at the parish office and transferred all the pieces here (to the school) and assembled them,” said Repa.

While the project was time consuming, Repa said it was worthwhile.

“I hesitated to do it because it was so much work,” she said. “I really am glad I did this because I got to know them and they’re such nice kids. They’ve been great.”

Although not all 29 eighth graders were present for the earlier ginger bread houses, Repa said the entire class embraced the project.

The ginger bread school will be on display when Divine Mercy School holds its eighth grade graduation June 1. The placard appearing on a wall near the edible edifice reflects the graduates’ memories of their time at the school: “Sweet Years at Divine Mercy School.”