Students at Redoubt Elementary School in Soldotna helped out their community and had some fun in the process Thursday during a “Canstruction” competition at the school.

Students in each brought in food items as part of an annual food drive, but before they were loaded up to be taken to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, each class used the items collected to create a structure.

Entries were as varied as the classes that created them, and included a cookie shop, a Christmas wall, a recreation of a Pilgrim village, a cottage belonging to the Three Bears — complete with a performance of the story of Goldilocks, a hamster cage with a live hamster, a nearly life-size Pilgrim, Fort Buffet, Can-sas, and a turkey ready to go on the run.

School librarian Sharon Hale, who organized the event, said students and staff were excited.

“Students were very excited, and teachers — it takes teacher buy-in to make it all happen,” she said.

In fact, some teachers had designated design teams working on the project. A Pilgrim and turkey constructed by Robert Stitt’s class, for example, incorporated about 200 food items and was named the overall winner by a panel of judges.

Hale said that in addition to having fun, students also learned about helping others.

“We talked about (helping others),” Hale said. “… There are kids in our school who, if they didn’t go to the food bank, wouldn’t eat. I think it registered with students.”

The judges also selected the turkey created by Andrea Joachim’s class and the Pilgrim village created by Anne Buckbee’s class as winners.

Students in Kellie Davidson’s class at Redoubt Elementary School in Soldotna watch as judges evaluate their Christmas Wall, built using food items brought in by students for the school’s “Canstruction” competition Thursday. Food items collected during the event will be donated to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)

This hamster cage – complete with live hamster – was created by students in Amy Utecht’s class at Redoubt Elementary School in Soldotna using food items brought in by students for the school’s “Canstruction” competition Thursday. Food items collected during the event will be donated to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)

This turkey sculpture was created by students in Andrea Joachim’s class at Redoubt Elementary School in Soldotna using food items brought in by students for the school’s “Canstruction” competition Thursday. Food items collected during the event will be donated to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)