MASON FFA JOINS MMSA

by Brian Vissers

This maple season produced a new member to MMSA -The Mason High School FFA Chapter. Most of us know that FFA is the practical side to a high school's agriscience program but did you know that Mason High School is the only school in Michigan to have a large scale maple syrup operation?

Every spring Mason's FFA Chapter works a 32-acre sugar bush that is on County property adjacent to the school. They have 1500 taps, 400 of which are on a vacuum line, that produce about 200 gallons of syrup each year. Mike Prelesnik, himself a graduate of Mason High School, is the FFA advisor and the school's Agriscience teacher. Mike is very proud of the effort his 30 members put forth in marketing the syrup to the community. In addition to producing syrup, these students conduct up to 15 tours each season for elementary students from Mason, Haslett and Lansing school systems.

Recently this same group received a Food for America Gold Award at the State FFA Convention for a very unique project. These same young sugar makers go into the elementary classrooms in Mason and introduce agriscience to third and fourth graders. What is even more remarkable is that this project is done on the FFAers' own time on Friday afternoons.

Mason High School is located one mile East of the Kipp Road exit from US-127 just South of Lansing.