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At The Harvey School, learning extends beyond the classroom. Sometimes, it even flows from the trees.

In February, students in Ms. Tantillo’s AP Environmental Science (APES) class brought their study of sustainability to life through a campus-wide maple tree-tapping project. Building on their exploration of environmental responsibility, APES students and our ninth grade Common Ground students identified and tapped maple trees around campus, collecting sap. APES students analyzed its properties — culminating in a hands-on syrup-making experience.

On March 30, the Middle School parking lot transformed into an outdoor laboratory. The students gathered around an evaporator to boil down the sap they had collected, watching as it slowly thickened into syrup. Classes moved outdoors for the day, allowing students to observe the process in real time as water evaporated and natural sugars concentrated.

Fueling the process with wood, a renewable and more carbon-neutral resource, students connected scientific concepts to sustainable practices. The evaporator, generously donated by a Harvey parent last year, once again served as the centerpiece of this unique learning experience.

Earlier in the year, students developed their tree identification skills through close observation of leaves and other characteristics. During the boiling process, they extended those observational skills, noting changes in the sap’s color and consistency, monitoring temperature shifts, and studying the movement of steam and heat.

What began as a science project quickly became a shared community experience. Over the course of more than three hours, students and classes from across campus stopped by to watch, ask questions, and engage in conversations about sustainability and the balance between human activity and the natural world.