Maple Grove learning maple syrup

In March, the fourth generation of a Maple Grove School family learned how to tap maple trees in the woods surrounding the rural charter school in the town of Hamburg.

Gary Paul, a second generation maple syrup tapper, on March 9 instructed his grandson, Maple Grove Charter School third grader, Marty Servi, how to tap maple trees on the school grounds.

“It’s really neat that I’m able to show my grandson how to tap maple trees so this great school tradition can continue,” Gary Paul said on a chilly afternoon in the school woods.

He showed his grandson and his classmates how to drill a hole in the maple tree, hammer the metal tap into the hole and place a blue bag on the tap to collect tree sap.

Gary Paul’s father, Martin Paul, taught him how to tap maple trees at Maple Grove School. Gary Paul’s daughter, Angie Servi, also learned how to tap maple trees while she attended Maple Grove School.

Years ago, maple syrup tapping at Maple Grove School was only a first grade tradition. It was started by Arlene Teske who taught 34 years at Maple Grove School before she retired. She also started the school’s Mother’s Day pancake break- fast which uses maple syrup produced in the school woods.

Arlene Teske’s son, Randy Teske, spoke on March 9 at his town of Hamburg home about the rich tradition his mom began at Maple Grove School. He also attended Maple Grove School.

“It’s cool the way Maple Grove School students are still tapping those old growth maple trees that are 200 or 300 years old,” he said. “Back in those days, my mother used to hold up a wooden spoon to watch the sap drip back into the cooking pan, to figure out if the sap needed to continue boiling to make maple syrup.”

Robin Hanson, a Maple Grove School alum herself, is the school’s new principal this year. She has expanded the students’ experience of tapping maple trees to all students, from Kindergartners through fifth graders, this school year.

Theresa Baroun, executive director of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association, traveled from DePere to Hamburg on Feb. 28 to teach Maple Grove Charter School students about maple tree syrup production.

“I taught the students about how to tell which trees are maple and about the different types of maple trees,” she said. “I also taught the students how much maple tree sap it takes to cook down into a gallon of maple syrup; on average, it takes 43 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. I also showed them the inside of a maple tree log, so they could see that tapping a maple tree doesn’t hurt it. Maple Grove School has such a great maple syrup program for its students; I had an awesome time at the school.” Maple Grove Charter School students, aided by volunteers like Gary Paul, spent two days on March 8-9 tapping over 160 maple trees in the woods surrounding the school. Ray Melanger, a local maple syrup producer and past Maple Grove School parent, hosted the “first tapping” at his home for the state of Wisconsin this year. He instructed Maple Grove Charter School students on the proper way to safely tap maple trees. Melander also showed Maple Grove students how to tap maple trees, along with the other volunteers, in the school forest.

Hanson’s brother, Wes Kottke, collected the maple tree sap and then cooked it down to maple syrup.

The maple syrup cooked from sap collected in the school’s woods was served at the town of Hamburg’s ninth annual first tapping pancake breakfast on Sunday, April 10, as a fundraiser to support Maple Grove Charter School.

On Friday, May 6, Maple Grove Charter School first graders will host their families for a Mother’s Day pancake breakfast in the school gym using maple syrup produced from the school woods. There will be a small student performance before the breakfast.