The hallways of Brown County High School are filled with a flurry of activity in the mornings as students make their way from lockers to the classroom for another day of learning.
In Barb Kelp’s’ Essential Skills classroom, a Bunn coffee maker sits on a counter in the corner. Fresh, hot coffee fills the pot before being moved to an air-pot on a black rolling cart.
On the cart sits another air-pot with hot water inside along with baskets of pre-packaged powdered donuts, trail mix, Cheez-Its and more.
Kelp and her students sit at a table while the coffee brews. They count out dollar bills and change for a money box that is then set on another cart.
Not long after students settle into their first period class, Kelp’s’ classroom puts on their aprons and ventures out into the halls.
Going from room to room and office to office, one student mans the coffee cart, another runs the “cash cart” and a third holds a blue sign that says “Eagle Brewing” in gold letters.
The sign-holder enters into a silent classroom and quietly holds up the sign, letting those inside know “We are here.”
One, two, three students stand from their desks and check their pockets and wallets to make sure they have cash — at least $1.
Students have a choice of coffee with sugar, Splenda, creamer, French vanilla creamer or just straight black. Hot chocolate or tea are also available as well as any snack they may want. Each item costs $1.
“Coffee please,” says one student. Another gets a hot chocolate with vanilla creamer. One buys all his friends whatever they might want to jump start their days.
Another student excitedly exclaims “finally” once he sees the cart outside the door of the classroom.
Once everyone has been served, they make their way back to the classroom. to count up their profits and refill the cart for next time.
“I’m so happy we did this,” Essential Skills student Skyla Ford says to Kelp as they head back to their room.
So much growth
The idea for a student-ran coffee cart began rolling in November.
The Essential Skills class received a $500 grant to start the student-run coffee cart service.
The $500 MAC grant was from McDonald’s of greater Indiana and southwest Michigan, which award grants to high schools each school year to help support classroom curriculum.
The grants were distributed to 50 teachers in the Indiana and southwest Michigan regions.
Grants were awarded to classrooms working to “embody the core educational values of McDonald’s,” which include business or economics, computer skills, culinary, entrepreneurship, hospitality management, personal finance or online learning experiences, according to McDonald’s.
The Essential Skills classroom teaches the Indiana Department of Education’s employability skills that were created in partnership with Indiana Workforce Development and Indiana Office of Work Based Learning.
Those 18 skills include being self-disciplined, time management and organization, adaptability, initiative, problem-solving, attention to detail and effective communication.
Kelp, the Essential Skills students and the classroom paraprofessionals all gathered in the high school’s auditorium in October to officially receive the grant check from the owner of the Nashville McDonald’s Michael Stieglitz in front of fellow students and staff.
“This is phenomenal,” Stieglitz said of the coffee cart business.
Stieglitz also presented the class with a large McDonald’s thank you card.
The goal has been to have students manage all aspects of the cart with direct support from staff as they teach them employability skills, Kelp said in November.
While serving up smiles with the coffee and snacks, Kelp said the students strengthen the skills they will need when they transition out of high school into the “job of their dreams,” which is the goal of the Essential Skills program, Kelp said.
After her classroom received the grant last fall, Kelp said they were “building skills that can be carried over to any job opportunity.”
In January, Kelp watched her students interact with customers as they served them. They now have regular customers with orders that have been memorized by Kelp’s’ students.
“I’ve seen so much growth,” she said. “I am so excited about this.”
Skyla Ford’s favorite part about the coffee cart is customer service. She likes greeting customers and asking what they would like. She said this is because she’s a “social butterfly.”
Egan Gaskins likes to handle the money and asked for that specific job.
Charlie Chavez has been instrumental in how the cart is organized and is a great problem solver, Kelp said.
Recognition for their efforts reached the federal level when U.S. District 9 Rep. Trey Hollingsworth visited the class earlier this month after he heard about the new venture.
He applauded their work and sent Kelp a note a week later.
“Wow! I was so impressed by the work you and the students are doing,” he wrote. “Keep it up!”
Throughout the process, a Google Form survey to ask people what they want the cart to offer has been administered, and suggestions have been — and still are — taken from those in the school.
The venture has helped the class manage money and budgets, ensure food and beverage safety, develop customer service skills, coordinate money deposits with the bookkeeper to pay bills and more.
They have been problem-solving as they go, addressing different needs each time. Whether it’s starting in a certain area of the school, positioning in the hallway or organizing the cart a particular way, they are working through it.
It’s also just fun to do.
Kelp said in November that was one of the reasons they were looking forward to starting the cart.
“We like to have fun as much as possible and believe this is a great way to add some fun into our time at school. We think it will be fun for us and for those we serve,” she said.
Having affordable snacks and drinks for students also helps if a student comes in hungry in the morning. A full stomach helps students focus better in class.
In the halls during the coffee cart run, students and teachers venture out of classrooms and chat with each other while they wait to be served.
“It’s a spirit of community,” Kelp said.
