Worcester Prep senior and class president Maria Deckmann shared details of her fascinating hobby as a beekeeper with Julie Lyons’ third grade science class on Nov. 15. After entertaining the class with incredible videos and photos of her work with bees, she suited up in her vented beekeeping suit to pass around intriguing beekeeper items including a smoker, goat skinned gloves, various tools, and a frame from her hive used to collect fresh honey. She also explained how much bees impact the environment and are responsible for a significant portion of the world’s food supply and nutrition. She completed her presentation with delicious samples of her homemade honey to taste – which received rave reviews. Maria and her older brother Ross, a sophomore at Michigan State University, turned beekeeping into a hobby four years ago. Left, Deckmann shows Elena Gjoni, Luke Mize and Lexi Davis melted down honeycomb used for future products like candles and lip balm. Right, third graders Sydney Doran, Harper Hertrich, and Ryan Shipp feel a super soft brush that is used to carefully brush the bees from the collection trays during honey retrieval.