Something Sweet is Brewing at Crescent

Those who’ve been on campus recently may have noticed buckets hanging from some of our maple trees. If you ask one of our Grade 4 maple syrup club students, they’ll be able to tell you that they’ve tapped sugar maples as well as Norway maples, the latter of which, the boys know, produces a less sweet but still delicious syrup.

“It’s been pretty exciting to watch something as simple as a bucket hanging off a tree,” says Assistant Head of Lower School Ian Fisher. “Every day when the boys arrive on campus, they check on the buckets.” It’s all part of a project that fell into place thanks to teachers Barb DiNardo P’23 and LeeAnn Newman. 

The process of tapping the trees, harvesting and then boiling the sap has tied into many parts of the school curriculum. “The technology has been around for tens of thousands of years and was shown to settlers,” says Fisher. “You take what you need and nurture the tree—it's a great example of a sustainable resource.”  

The learning is multidisciplinary, says Fisher, and ties into science and math, with measurements being recorded and used to select appropriate trees to tap. Boiling points, ratios and evaporation will be used later in the syrup-making process. “Our students are experiencing and observing so much through this project that will set the foundation for better science understanding in the future.”

“ I get a thousand questions from the students,” says Mrs. Di Nardo. “ They love it. Everyone has a part to play.” The taps will be fully set up this week, and the sap is expected to “run” most likely in March when the daytime temperatures are slightly above zero and nighttime are just below.