TA News

Save the date! Thetford Academy’s Outdoor Program is looking forward to welcoming students, families, neighbors, and friends for a Maple Community Day on Sunday, March 22, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

In Vermont, sugaring is an integral part of our history and identity. It’s also a unique educational opportunity for Thetford Academy students. TA’s campus has a well-maintained sugar bush and taps over 250 trees each year. As a result, students in our Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education are able to participate in every step of the sugaring process, from tapping trees to boiling, filtering, and bottling in the school’s small but mighty sugar shack (built by students in 2018).

In the class’s maple unit, each student is tasked with becoming a “specialist” in one aspect of maple production. Students design and conduct experiments exploring real life problems related to the sugaring process, collecting and analyzing data, and discovering how different variables can affect outcomes. The interdisciplinary unit also includes creative writing assignments that encourage students to reflect on their connections with nature through poetry and narrative.

All of this knowledge is then shared with the public through a series of tours and presentations with visitors from local universities and elementary schools – and culminating with Maple Community Day. Join us to get taste of what sweet learning is like at Thetford Academy! Maple Community Day is free and open to the public.

NOTE: The sugar shack is located on Thetford Academy’s South Campus. As you enter the parking lot on Panther Way, it will be on your left. The shack is just past the timber frame outdoor classroom—look for the rising steam! It will be muddy, so boots are recommended. Questions? Email Scott Ellis at [email protected].