WESTBOROUGH – With tubes of frosting and cups filled with candy, Westborough Public Schools Superintendent Amber Bock led a special gingerbread house decorating event at the BORO Sugar Shack in town on Dec. 5.
The Sugar Shack is part of the district’s BORO program, which helps students with special needs develop skills to acquire jobs after high school.
The BORO Sugar Shack plans to host this gingerbread house decorating event on an annual basis in the future.
“Any opportunity that we have to showcase the Sugar Shack, showcase the BORO Program, and show people that we’re here and the fun things that we do is great and makes me happy,” said BORO Program Coordinator Erin LaPrad. “It makes me happy to see our students involved.”
The event was first held two years ago.
“It was so much fun,” LaPrad said. “Then, last year, we wanted to do it again. Obviously with COVID, we couldn’t do it in person.”
A year ago, staff set up a studio in the Sugar Shack store to livestream Bock leading the decorating event. Families bought kits and were able to follow along.
“Families really enjoyed it,” LaPrad said.
The event was back in person, this year, with Bock leading once again.
“We love the holidays,” Bock said at the start of the event. “For us, this is a super fun thing to do.”
There were eight spots available and the event sold out, though Westborough TV livestreamed it on its Facebook page.
“I love that the Westborough Schools has a superintendent that loves to do this sort of thing,” LaPrad said. “It’s a way for her to connect to the community and be able to have that banter that doesn’t involve schools…She’s a mom and enjoying the season too.”
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