Chase Knight, 9, and his fourth-grade teacher, Ben Lavigne, check a maple sap bucket at East Auburn Community School in Auburn on Friday. Lavigne and his students tapped trees the past five weeks and boiled the sap Friday. The syrup will be a treat for the students after the Maine Educational Assessment testing that begins on Monday. Lavigne’s father, Mark Lavigne of Scarborough, monitored the boiling process while Ben Lavigne taught his classes inside. Ben Lavigne said he had the first pot of sap on the camp stove at 5:15 a.m. Friday. Gabby Gerry and Owen Vincecruz are in the background at left. Many maple syrup sugarhouses will be open to the public during the 34th annual Maine Maple Sunday on March 26.
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