On March 18, the kindergarten classes at Talbot Community School went on a field trip to the Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), accompanied by some of their classroom “Grammies” from Opportunity Alliance for “Maple Thanksgiving.”

This annual springtime celebration, part of PPS kindergarteners’ Wabanaki Studies and Life Science learning, acknowledges the Indigenous origins of maple sugaring and is an opportunity to be thankful that maple trees give up their sweetness to us. Students got to decorate their own maple leaves, explore the PATHS sugar house, learn about the Wabanaki maple syrup creation story and even try some maple ice cream and tea! The student-built sugar house is used by PATHS students in the Landscapes & Gardens program to learn about trees as they collect sap and boil it down to create maple syrup which is then used by the school’s culinary program.

The kindergarten classes were joined by their classroom “Grammies” from the Foster Grandparent Program with Opportunity Alliance. This program offers volunteers aged 55 and older the opportunity to volunteer between 10 and 40 hours a week, providing emotional and educational support to students. What a fun way for students to take their classroom learning outside–and a big thank you to our Opportunity Alliance volunteers!