Saint Michael’s first-year students carry on apple picking tradition through MOVE

Students pose for a photo while taking part in the annual First-Year Apple-Picking event through MOVE on Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Lara Scott/MOVE)

The annual first-year apple-picking event through MOVE typically serves as a harbinger that fall is officially here at Saint Michael’s. 

This year, the event held Sept. 7, 2024, by MOVE – or Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts – drew about 75 first-year students and other student volunteers who picked apples that would eventually be donated to local food shelves, said MOVE Director Lara Scott. Each year, the event serves as a follow-up to orientation as another way in which first-year students can bond while also serving the community. 

Chapin Orchard in Essex Junction hosts the apple-picking event. The apples donated provide “local, fresh produce to community members and increasing access to sustainable agriculture,” Scott said. 

“It was a beautiful, picturesque Vermont fall morning,” Scott said. “The apples were beautiful and delicious as always, and it was so nice to be with Phil, Helen, and Jim, our community partners at Chapin Orchard. Their passion for apples and sharing their orchard with the SMC community is felt deeply!” 

Photos of this year’s event can be found in the Flickr gallery below.