On Thursday April 15, 2010 Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) visited PS 196 in Forest Hills to participate in an exhibit provided by the V.V.S. Central School which showcased the history and production of maple syrup.

Students and faculty from V.V.S. Central School gave a demonstration to the elementary school students on the intricate method of how maple syrup is produced. Starting with a history lesson on how maple syrup was first discovered, students were taken from station to station as students of the V.V.S. Central School gave demonstrations on all aspects of production from how to tap a maple tree to how to turn the sap of the tree into syrup. The students were given samples of maple syrup and maple cotton candy.

The V.V.S. Central School runs a program that is dedicated to the study of agriculture including maple syrup production. The high school has its own production facility on campus and produced 525 gallons of maple syrup last year adding to the total that the more than 1500 maple syrup producers of New York State create. The interactive program has been provided by V.V.S Central School, free of charge, for school children of the city for the past few years.

The Parent Coordinator of PS 196 Ellen Maurer said, “It was terrific. This program gave our city children the opportunity to experience a little bit of the country that they are not normally exposed to. All of our staff and students were excited to participate and had a terrific time.”

“The children of PS 196 had fun, learned something new, and literally got a taste of life outside the city. I am incredibly grateful to the faculty and high school students of V.V.S Central School for enabling the children of our neighborhoods to experience this program,” said Assemblyman Hevesi.