WOODBURY — It’s one of Nonnewaug’s sweetest traditions: the natural resources class’ annual project of producing maple syrup. This process involves collecting and producing maple syrup which is educationally beneficial to the student body. 

“Producing maple syrup is very beneficial to students due to the fact that it involves a lot of science,” said Lee McMillan, the natural resources instructor. “It is also a traditional New England natural resource.” 

Students also learn important team building abilities such as “coordinated teamwork,” McMillan added.

Students begin the maple syrup process by installing taps and lines on the maple trees on campus. Students then collect the sap out of the maple trees. The students then split firewood and prepare it to be burned in the school’s boiler. Sap is then placed in the boiler and the fire is lit, burning off the excess water turning the sap into maple syrup. Students then collect the maple syrup and bottle it. The excess maple syrup then gets further heated, turning it into candies.

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Students checking the readiness of the boiler after it was installed. The wait for syrup making is prolonged by the construction of the new building at the school. Once the area is completed and inspected, the class will be ready to boil away.