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Sugar Shack

Late April always brings the excitement of the BPC benefit, and I want to encourage the community to attend on April 28 at the Sheraton in Portsmouth. Certainly it is a fun way to gather and celebrate what makes BA so special, but it is also true that the funds raised through BPC help move our school forward in such compelling ways. Just this week I was reminded of this reality after I was invited to offer feedback to Krysta Ibsen’s eighth grade science project.

As many of you know, Krysta has become famous for her Sugar Shack projects, which teach our kids aspects of science and entrepreneurship through the practice of making maple syrup. Clearly this is an example of student directed learning, where kids get to pursue individual interests within the broader educational construct. What I have always loved about the event is that it changes every year, and this year Krysta charged the kids to propose a real model for a permanent Sugar Shack we might build on campus someday. Kids constructed precise balsa models, but the 3D design models they had all created within their sketch up programs particularly impressed me. I felt like I was watching an episode off of HGTV.

I asked students questions about placement, construction material, and roof lines. We engaged in conversations about cost and practicality vs. dreaming big as to what the program could become in the future. From a teaching perspective, it never ceases to amaze me how organized and professional the expectations are in this area. Whether it is proposal papers, 3D renderings, or the packaging of the syrup itself – one can see the power that stems from a teacher modeling this attention to detail. One can also see how quickly the learning goes from being an eighth grade science moment to something that feels far more authentic and connected to the world.

 BPC has made meaningful contributions to this program over the years, including various pieces of equipment needed in the process. I have heard that Krysta has plans for future 8th grade classes to write grants so that we might find funding to actually build our own sugar shack one day. Over the past few years, I have had so many conversations with parents who were blown away by the sophistication and realness of this effort. However, I am also reminded that these kinds of ideas never become a reality without the funding to make it possible, which brings me back to the our upcoming BPC benefit. One of the reasons that I am sure Berwick will have a sugar shack one day is the partnership we have with our parents. I invite you to come join the party.

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