ALLEN
The students and staff at Northern Heights High School have something to look forward to on their 10-minute break each morning — a nice cup of coffee.
As part of a class project, several students started a coffee shop called Java Junkies, which is open from 10 to 10:10 a.m. each morning. When it comes to their coffee break, students aren’t shy about lining up to get their cup of java to get them through the rest of the day. When the bell rang at 10 a.m. on a recent school day, the concession window went from empty to serving more than 20 people lined up to get their morning caffeine fix before heading to the next class.
The students running the coffee shop — Alan Atchison, Rusty Potter, Cheyenne Shirley and Casey Cole — are working on a project in the career development class. Atchison, the manager of the coffee shop, said this year, the group decided to tackle a project that was bigger than ever.
“It started out small and snowballed into what it’s become now,” he said as he was setting up the coffee shop just before 10 a.m.
The students had to take out a loan from the bank, which will be repaid after they close shop for the year. Most of the proceeds are going to local charities or to support the school’s therapy dog, Oreo, a great Dane.
Atchison said the shop sells several products and all are affordable for students. The favorite is “Casey’s Special,” a blend of coffee and cappuccino.
Cole said he wishes the school had decided to do a project like this a long time ago.
“It’s awesome,” he said as he prepared to hand out coffee to students. “I like running it.”
And the students like visiting the coffee shop. Luke Shoemaker, 15, stood in line for his cup of coffee surrounded by others who also were waiting.
“I like it,” Shoemaker said. “It’s nice to have something sweet. It helps to get through the day.”
Trapper Petersen, 15, agreed.
“The stuff is good,” Petersen commented.
Stephanie Watts, 15, visits the coffee shop every day, she said.
“I like their hot chocolate,” she said, with a smile, which was followed by a nod from some of the students around her. “Their stuff is pretty good.”
Brett Schaefer, 16, got his drink and then headed back to class.
“It’s cheap,” Schaefer said, just before walking away and heading down the hall. “And their product is good.”
The day proved to be another successful one for the Java Junkies. Even after 10:10, students were still lined up to grab a cup of coffee at the last minute. It took a few minutes before the crowd cleared and the group running the coffee shop was able to clean up and head back to their own classes.
abc123 (anonymous) says...
This is an excellent real-world (not MTV Real World) experience for these kids, good job!
May 1, 2007 at 6:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )