October 28th, 2017
21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM
Students become cider stewards
By MITCH CRAIB
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — It is the season for harvesting and enjoying the apple harvest in Vermont. At St. Albans City School, thanks to two teachers, Dan DesLauriers and Mark Hoben, we are in our third year of making apple cider with the bulk of our students. DesLauriers and Hoben oversee the Hands On Practical Education (HOPE) program wherein a small group of students gain math, writing, science and social skills while engaged in a variety of hands-on activities.
In this case four boys gathered a truckload of dropped apples from Shelburne Orchards to bring back, wash and process into apple cider. As always, the teachers had those students learn about measuring weights, volumes and end product. They also learned how to share cider making skills with other students.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, two dozen classroom groups came by in half hour segments to take turns pulping and squeezing the juice from those apples. In 2015 these teachers, and our school, were awarded an Unsung Heroes grant to purchase an Amishmade cider press. It is well designed, built to last at least 100 years and does the juicing process brilliantly.
Aside from pulping the apples in the grinder, the students loved using leverage and a large screwpress to easily squeeze out gallons of cider from many bushels of apples. The only intimidating part of the process for our children involved dodging the few yellow jackets trying to enjoy some of the sweet apple liquid.
At the conclusion of the squeezing experience students got their own chance to taste the apple cider. DesLauriers and Hoben orchestrated the availability of heated (pasteurized) cider from the previous class so that as soon as one group had pressed cider they could move to the nearby cafeteria for a taste test. Each child and instructor received a dixie cup of “hot cider” to savor and appreciate. The response to the sweet brown liquid was universally positive.
St. Albans City School hopes to eventually supply this cider making process with apples from its own trees. In another five years that goal should be met since they have a dozen trees heading towards maturity nearby in their gardening areas. The school expects that having their own apples will deepen students’ investment in the experience and further enhance our children’s awareness of healthy local food production.
-- Mitch Craib is the stewardship coordinator at St. Albans City School
Students become cider stewards
By MITCH CRAIB
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — It is the season for harvesting and enjoying the apple harvest in Vermont. At St. Albans City School, thanks to two teachers, Dan DesLauriers and Mark Hoben, we are in our third year of making apple cider with the bulk of our students. DesLauriers and Hoben oversee the Hands On Practical Education (HOPE) program wherein a small group of students gain math, writing, science and social skills while engaged in a variety of hands-on activities.
In this case four boys gathered a truckload of dropped apples from Shelburne Orchards to bring back, wash and process into apple cider. As always, the teachers had those students learn about measuring weights, volumes and end product. They also learned how to share cider making skills with other students.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, two dozen classroom groups came by in half hour segments to take turns pulping and squeezing the juice from those apples. In 2015 these teachers, and our school, were awarded an Unsung Heroes grant to purchase an Amishmade cider press. It is well designed, built to last at least 100 years and does the juicing process brilliantly.
Aside from pulping the apples in the grinder, the students loved using leverage and a large screwpress to easily squeeze out gallons of cider from many bushels of apples. The only intimidating part of the process for our children involved dodging the few yellow jackets trying to enjoy some of the sweet apple liquid.
At the conclusion of the squeezing experience students got their own chance to taste the apple cider. DesLauriers and Hoben orchestrated the availability of heated (pasteurized) cider from the previous class so that as soon as one group had pressed cider they could move to the nearby cafeteria for a taste test. Each child and instructor received a dixie cup of “hot cider” to savor and appreciate. The response to the sweet brown liquid was universally positive.
St. Albans City School hopes to eventually supply this cider making process with apples from its own trees. In another five years that goal should be met since they have a dozen trees heading towards maturity nearby in their gardening areas. The school expects that having their own apples will deepen students’ investment in the experience and further enhance our children’s awareness of healthy local food production.
-- Mitch Craib is the stewardship coordinator at St. Albans City School