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.
Thetford Academy students scrub apples to be used in cider pressing in Thetford, Vt., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. Students took a field trip to Riverview Farm in Plainfield, N.H., to pick apples on Friday, and with a few additional apple donations from community members, students had nearly 15 bushels of apples to press into cider. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News Credit: Valley News – Alex Driehaus
Senior Landon Putney, 17, preps apples for cider pressing at Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vt., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News Credit: ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News
A yellowjacket hovers around a stream of apple cider flowing from a press at Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vt., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. Scott Ellis, outdoor program coordinator, said he hopes to make a batch of apple cider vinegar, but most of the cider will be given out to students and staff at the school. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News Credit: Valley News – Alex Driehaus
Freshman Avi Horster, 14, lounges in a wheelbarrow while taking a break from cider pressing at Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vt., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News Credit: Valley News – Alex Driehaus
Alex Driehaus is a staff photographer at the Valley News. She can be reached at adriehaus@vnews.com and (603) 727-3304.
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