Published: 3/8/2020 5:18:23 PM

Here are brief thoughts on recent happenings across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.

Its obvious to anyone driving around the county that sugaring season is in full swing. Metal sap buckets abound, for those maple sugarers using the charming old-fashioned method, and elsewhere, tubing zig-zags between trees, gathering the sap in a central location with the modern method.

Though it may feel like old news, maple sugarers, state and local officials and others gathered on Friday for a little pomp and circumstance to celebrate the arrival of March, otherwise known as Massachusetts Maple Month. Undersecretary of Environmental Affairs Daniel Sieger led the ceremonial tapping of a maple tree at Sunrise Farms in Colrain and the Lively family showed guests around their operation.

Sugar season is a big deal for everyone, said state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton. It is for my family. And, it will take all of us to support these farms and farmers.

We hope for a successful season for our local maple sugarers. Hopefully, its just as sweet for them as for all of us who enjoy the fruits of their labor on our pancakes, waffles and in the form of sugar on snow.

The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) is back in business.

The state Senate and House voted to approve another $2 million for the program as part of the states supplemental budget, putting an end to the temporary suspension that went into effect on Feb. 23. Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill Wednesday.

The program provides an automatic rebate when shoppers use SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps), so they can buy produce from participating local farms. HIP provides those struggling with the ability to stretch their food dollars to buy produce, meats, dairy and more, and it provides farmers the opportunity to sell their products all year long.

Its been great to see so many of my colleagues, advocacy groups, farmers and users of the program recognize the value of making healthy, nutritious foods available to more families and rally in support of HIP, said state Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru. This will have a positive impact on the daily lives of many people throughout Franklin County.

Like Mark, were thrilled to see our legislators rally around HIP, which makes all the difference for many of our residents as well as our local farmers. And like Mark, we hope to see the state fully fund HIP in future years, as it has been suspended each year since it began in 2017, though it was originally intended as a year-round program.

Kudos to Ryan Copeland, a sixth-grade teacher at Sunderland Elementary School who is thinking outside the box with his most recent class assignment.

Copeland wanted to bring the traditional school report or essay more into alignment with the way his students interact with information on the internet. So, instead of having his students write a report the traditional way, he is having them present their research by recording a podcast or building a website.

The students have been working on their podcasts for roughly a month, and should be finished at the end of this week. Part of their work has involved interviewing graduate students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on topics like space exploration, disease and illnesses, mental health as it relates to other illnesses and the criminal justice system, and the use of nuclear weapons.

The questions the kids have developed are amazing, Copeland said.

While, as a newspaper, we have a deep appreciation for the traditional class essay, we also understand the need to evolve with the times and learn new skills. This is such an innovative way for students to showcase their learning, especially during a time when podcasts are becoming increasingly popular. Copelands assignment is not only teaching students about their chosen topics, but also teaching them interviewing skills and technological skills that will no doubt be useful to them.

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Monday shorts: Syrup ceremony, HIP funding and classroom innovation - The Recorder