Students in our high school Career Development Academy are using a new in-school business venture to provide a service for their teachers while practicing essential workplace and job readiness skills.

CDA’s Community Outreach Student Committee launched a Coffee Cart this fall. The initiative allows staff members to submit orders through an online form for coffee, tea, hot cocoa and snacks, which students prepare and deliver directly to classrooms and offices.

Committee members earn work-study hours and practice key employability skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and organization. Over the past few months, the Coffee Cart team has worked on building a strong customer base, developing a loyalty punch card, expanding their inventory and other key business operations skills.

“The Coffee Cart has been a great addition to the Career Development program,” Work Study teacher Holly Perkins said. “It gives the students real-life opportunities to practice customer service skills and money handling, learn teamwork, and practice personal skills while delivering to the customers.”

The work rotation pairs up two students from separate classrooms to work together during each morning and afternoon shift. Once deliveries are complete – typically 15-20 per day – the treasurer and an advisor count the day’s money and place it in a lock box for deposit the next day.

“The Coffee Cart is something we work very hard on,” 11th grader Donovan Brennan said. “My favorite part is making the coffee, writing down the orders, and delivering them to the teachers with a beautiful smile.”

“I really like going around the building and making the coffee – that’s my favorite part,” ninth-grader Maddi Piacentino said.

For several years, students have already helped run the Wolf Den school store that sells snacks to students using BOCES Bucks, a school incentive system. The Coffee Cart, they said, was a way to use that experience to support staff.

Ahead of the launch, staff helped train students in operating and maintaining the equipment, appropriate measurements, tracking inventory, and setting up the order and delivery systems. All startup items were donated, but supplies are now replenished using proceeds from Coffee Cart sales.

Behavior Specialist Kimberly Karcic said students love the entire initiative.

“It’s giving them more independence and their own sense of community,” she said. “They’re now seeing the benefits and profits of what they’re doing.”