Thetford Academy students transform fresh harvest into cider

THETFORD — Apples bobbed in tubs of water before being dunked, scrubbed and crushed on Monday afternoon as students at Thetford Academy pressed nearly 15 bushels of apples into cider.

A group of students from Kate Reimanis’ Small Scale Farming class and Scott Ellis’ Ecological Literacy class took a field trip to Riverview Farm in Plainfield on Friday to collect apples for pressing, and several community members dropped off apple donations at the school. Students operated the press and poured samples of cider into small paper cups for visitors to taste.

“I’m a big fan of seeing it all happen,” senior Sarah Marshia said of the cider pressing. Marshia, who also spent Sunday afternoon making cider at home with her family, said she finds the experience rewarding, especially when the cider is shared. “We’re doing it for the community,” she said.