Students at St. Joseph’s Catholic School will soon open a cafe called Cup of Joe’s, as part of the school’s Life Skills program. The program was put together by Shauna Baird, classroom support teacher, and Victoria Baker, life skills teacher.
“At the beginning of October, I went to see our Director of Inclusive Education to find some truly authentic inclusion opportunities for our life skills students. I pitched this idea for a cafe and it took a bit of planning, which started in October. After some discussion with the board members, principal and others, we were able to put together this amazing opportunity for our students,” says Baird.
Baker believes this will be a great experience for students, for a multitude of reasons.
“They practice customer service, work with vendors and learn money management skills so they’re ready to contribute to the workforce once they leave us,” she says.
Proceeds from the cafe are expected to be reinvested in the Life Skills program.
“Once we start earning some money, our kids will consider donating material to programs that might need some extra help and also getting material for their own programming,” says Baird.
A few local businesses helped set up this program for St. Joe’s students.
“We really want to thank Coffee Gal, who have been an amazing partner for us, along with Wapiti Bean Co. and Water Express. Without them, we could not have embarked on this adventure,” says Baker.
Most hot drinks will be $2.50 each, which includes everything from an Americano to a latte, hot chocolate, French vanilla, and a dirty chai latte. Hours will be extended for the grand opening on May 31, as the cafe will be open from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. After that, it will be open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 10:35 a.m.