With the arrival of spring comes fresh opportunities for learning, growth, and connection. At Mount Prospect Academy, one seasonal favorite students look forward to each year is maple sugaring. While it’s certainly known for its sweet reward, maple sugaring also offers a rich, hands-on way for students to engage with STEM concepts in a meaningful and memorable way.

This season, students and staff jumped right into the process by setting up new lines and updating sap collection equipment. From understanding weather patterns to learning about tree anatomy and the chemistry involved in boiling sap, every step of the process became an opportunity to build knowledge through experience. Students worked closely with staff, including Mark L., to ensure the entire operation ran smoothly from start to finish.

Through their dedication and teamwork, students successfully produced and packaged 3.75 gallons of maple syrup. They were involved in every stage—tapping trees, collecting and transporting sap, boiling it down, and carefully packaging the final product. Along the way, they documented the process, reinforcing both scientific observation and practical skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Learning didn’t stop on campus. Students also explored how maple sugaring varies across different operations by visiting local farms and production facilities. These experiences helped them understand how scale impacts production, as well as how climate and geography influence the process. They took their learning even further by researching how changing environmental conditions are affecting the maple sugaring industry and how producers are adapting.

We’re proud of the curiosity, teamwork, and dedication our students demonstrated throughout this year’s sugaring season. Experiences like these highlight the power of hands-on learning and reflect our commitment to helping students connect classroom concepts to the world around them.