Bell Top Elementary Students Craft Fresh Apple Cider in Learning Barn

Students at Bell Top Elementary School in East Greenbush, New York engaged in a unique hands-on learning experience this week, crafting fresh apple cider using the school’s cider press located in the Learning Barn. This initiative allowed students to participate in a time-honored tradition that combines education with practical skills.

The Learning Barn, a facility built in 1997, was established through the efforts of a dedicated team, including first-grade teacher Melanie Lyte, who continues to serve as its caretaker. Lyte trains fellow educators to facilitate various educational activities, including cider-making in the fall and maple syrup production in the spring. Recent upgrades to the Barn included the installation of running water and electricity to meet building code standards, ensuring a safe environment for students.

Principal Mike Neumann oversees the maintenance of the Learning Barn, ensuring it is properly cleaned, winterized, and free of pests. The barn receives additional support from volunteers at Regeneron, who contribute their time to perform essential repairs and maintenance during their Day for Doing Good.

Students participated in the cider-making process by bringing apples from home, supplemented by donations from the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. In previous years, Windy Hill Orchard provided additional apples, although they are currently closed due to a management transition. Parent volunteers assisted in overseeing the activities, ensuring students remained engaged and safe during the process.

Each class visited the Learning Barn in rotations, dividing into teams with specific roles such as “washers” to clean the apples, “runners” to transport them, “putter-inners” to load them into the cider press, “grinders” to operate the grinding wheel, and “fillers” to pour the fresh cider into containers. This organization allowed every student to experience each task while older students took on more responsibility with less supervision.

Third-grade students, for example, combined the roles of “runners” and “putter-inners” for efficiency and were allowed to operate the press, turning the screw to extract cider from the crushed apples. Students expressed their excitement throughout the process, with one enthusiastically declaring, “Today is awesome!” while another observed the apples being ground.

The freshly pressed apple cider was distributed to students, who enjoyed it both at school and at home. Lyte emphasized the uniqueness of their cider, stating, “This is probably the best apple cider you’ll ever drink because you made it yourselves and because it’s got so many different kinds of apples in it.”

In addition to the practical experience, students incorporated the cider-making process into their regular curriculum. They created how-to books detailing each step and learned about simple machines involved in the cider press, including levers and screws. Third graders explored the life cycles of apples and trees, reinforcing their understanding of biology through hands-on activities.

“This is a huge piece of our curriculum,” said third-grade teacher Heather Gigliello, who oversees Learning Barn activities for her grade. She highlighted the importance of the barn as a resource for STEM education, a sentiment echoed by former teacher Mary Ann Morgan, who continues to volunteer during maple syrup season.

The Learning Barn has gained recognition not only within Bell Top but also among other schools in the East Greenbush Central School District. This year, four elementary schools and one homeschool program have utilized the barn’s resources for their own cider-making experiences.

Neumann expressed his enthusiasm for the Learning Barn, stating, “I think the Learning Barn is another great tradition we have here.” He noted the significance of hands-on learning, emphasizing that the experience resonates with students long after they leave the classroom.

Gigliello concurred, stating, “The children seeing their work and seeing the results really sticks with them. It’s something they remember for years.” The Learning Barn continues to be a valuable asset for Bell Top Elementary, fostering a love for learning through engaging, practical experiences.