Trumansburg students lead project to tell the story of maple syrup production, climate change repercussions

Students at Trumansburg Central School District (CSD) are continuing the district’s legacy of producing maple syrup through its Maple Syrup Project, harvesting sap from close to 50 trees in the area.

A critical component of the project is the development by students of a statewide network that would allow other students to learn how to maple syrup. Trumansburg CSD students have created instructional how-to videos and guides that will allow others to experience and participate in the project. Students are also compiling data on yield per tree and sugar content at the point of collection. 

The data will ultimately be used to conduct research on the effects of climate change on maple trees and sap extraction.

“We also have an oral history project. Tompkins County has a gap in maple syrup information in its oral history archives, so we have been going to different conferences and doing interviews over Zoom with the maple syrup community,” said Beyonca Akers, the project’s community outreach manager and a junior at Trumansburg High.

Billie Plumlee, a junior also involved with the project, highlighted how the project has helped build students’ skill sets with highly marketable experience.

“It’s teaching a lot of kids in high school how to conduct a project like that, because most students have not had to lead a set of interviews,” Plumlee said.

Akers also noted that the project has drawn involvement from students in all grades at Trumansburg CSD. 

“Students as young as kindergarteners are out in the sugar bush helping us tap trees and make syrup,” Akers said.

Plumlee said that involvement reaches even students who are not as focused on academic pursuits.

“It gets students involved who aren’t necessarily super motivated in school,” Plumlee said. “It’s not entirely academic, so there are people who don’t put a lot of energy into their other classes, but are really into the maple syrup program.”

Students working in the project are mentored by teachers Rachel Paparone and Paul Wiech. Both mentors said that students in the program are part of a local culture where students working in the district’s school’s science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM) hub room typically deliver fascinating projects.

“The kids who come into this space generally get the opportunity to explore whatever they’re interested in or passionate about,” Wiech said. “In an environment where I think the adults are super supportive. We don’t have expectations for the kids, but I expect to be blown away by the work every kid does almost every day here. It’s pretty amazing.”

To continue to support the project and its end goals, the students and faculty will host a series of events throughout the winter and spring to continue to involve the community in the Maple Syrup Project.

On Feb. 10, the Trumansburg High School STEAM Club will host an “Adopt-A-Maple” breakfast at the STEAM hub from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Sausage gravy, biscuits, orange juice and maple syrup-adorned pancakes and French toast will all be served. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. 

Later that day, from noon to 2 p.m., students will host a maple syrup workshop. Tickets are $80 for a group of five.

“People can come and we will teach them how to identify maple trees, care for maple trees and our process for collecting syrup and recording data,” Akers said. “And as well as boiling the syrup, checking the sugar level and straining it. Really, everything you need to know so you can make your own maple syrup.”

Attendees will leave the workshop with a bottle of their own maple syrup, taps, bags and a Brix meter to measure sugar levels in syrup.

There is another maple workshop planned for March 2, as well as another breakfast planned for March 23.

The project also has three sponsorship tiers for those who would like to donate.

Level one includes a 12-ounce bottle of syrup, an official certificate and GPS coordinates and a photo of the sponsored tree for $25. Level two includes all of the previously mentioned perks, as well as two tickets to the March 23 breakfast for $50. Level three includes all of the perks from the first tier, as well as a maple syrup refill for the 12-ounce bottle, and four tickets to the March 23 breakfast.

For more information on events and sponsorship, interested parties can reach Wiech at pwiech@tburg.k12.ny.us and Paparone at rpaparone@tburg.k12.ny.us.

This column appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.