(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/forum_2015/jrsloan_fletcher_school.sized.jpg)
Photo by Chris Dodge
J.R. Sloan, a Fletcher parent and the nation's largest maple producer, spoke to students at the Fletcher Elementary School about maple sugaring at a school-wide assembly on March 13. Sloan, who anticipates making up to 60,000 gallons of maple syrup this spring, showed pictures and video clips of his state of the art maple sugaring operation and spoke to students about the process of converting sap to syrup, including the skills learned in school that he has found necessary in his work. He stressed literacy math and other academic endeavors. Following the presentation, he donated enough syrup for school-wide sugar-an-snow and gave each student a book about maple sugaring.