DENIOS IBC Funnel Supports Student Maple Sugaring Project
(Louisville, KY — September 22, 2026)
When fifth-grade students at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, New Hampshire, began their annual maple sugaring project, they took part in every stage of the process. They learned about maple tree biology, tapped trees in the surrounding neighborhood, collected sap, and helped transform it into maple syrup.
One part of the process posed a recurring challenge: transferring the collected sap into an IBC storage tank without spilling.
Making Every Drop Count
Students collected sap in 5-gallon buckets before carrying it back to the school. A full bucket weighed approximately 40 pounds and had to be lifted to shoulder height to pour the sap into the tank’s 6-inch opening.
For fifth-grade students, that was a difficult and awkward task. Sap collected through hours of work was sometimes lost during the transfer.
Those spills mattered. It takes approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup, so conserving the collected sap was an important part of the project.
DENIOS donated a yellow IBC Funnel to help the students transfer the sap more safely and effectively. The funnel provided a much larger pouring area and directed the liquid toward the tank opening, reducing the precision required when handling a heavy bucket.
The manufacturer confirmed that the yellow HDPE resin used for this version of the funnel meets the applicable requirements of FDA regulation 21 CFR 177.1520 for food-contact applications.
A Practical Lesson in Design and Engineering
The funnel did more than reduce spills. It became part of the students’ lessons in observation, design, and problem-solving.
“The DENIOS IBC funnel has allowed our students to more effectively and confidently pour in the sap they carried from the trees without spilling,” said fifth-grade teacher JJ Prior.
Students examined how individual features helped the funnel perform its job. They noted that its feet rested on the cage surrounding the IBC and that channels in the funnel directed the sap toward the center drain while minimizing splashing.
The class also continued experimenting with ways to strain small pieces of bark, hemlock needles and other debris from the sap before it entered the storage tank. Several approaches were tested, giving students another opportunity to identify a problem, compare possible solutions, and consider improvements for the next maple season.
From Neighborhood Trees to Maple Syrup
The project extended well beyond the school grounds. Students visited the yards of approximately 30 neighbors, tapping four maple species and collecting the sap they produced.
They recorded their activities in journals, learned how to identify suitable trees, and studied the natural and agricultural science behind maple syrup production. The fifth graders also served as guides for younger students, explaining the sugaring process while the sap was boiled in the schoolyard.
By the end of the season, the class had produced approximately five gallons of maple syrup. The students later enjoyed the results of their work with pancakes during their final breakfast at an outdoor ecology school.
For DENIOS, supporting the project was an opportunity to help students solve a genuine handling challenge while participating more fully in the work.
“We’re so grateful to DENIOS for donating a food-contact-suitable plastic funnel to fit on our maple sap storage tank,” Prior said. “Our students were more effective and confident when pouring the sap they had worked so hard to collect.”
The Symonds Elementary School maple sugaring project shows how the right equipment can make a process more manageable while supporting lessons in science, engineering, teamwork and practical problem-solving.
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