West Platte High School has opened a new coffee shop run by special needs students in hopes of teaching them life skills.
The Blue Jay Café officially opened for business in January as part of a program for special needs students.
While the team that runs the shop remains rather small, they all continue to have fun.
“I've learned how to make stuff that I've never made before, like coffee,” explained West Platte senior Alex Hamilton. “It's a lot of fun. It has people I like to talk to."
Every day, the coffee shop opens around 7 a.m.
The students a part of the program help run the store by making the drinks, mopping the floor, and operating the cash register.
Life skills teacher Lorie Russell said the lessons learned in the kitchen go well beyond learning how to make coffee and tea.
“What it offers them is a huge life experience that they might not be able to get anywhere else,” explained Russell. “For them, these are real job skills. It's a real learning process for them."
Russell has helped oversee the team since the café opened.
On a daily basis, she keeps the team focused on responding to customers and making sure duties get done.
She hopes that by helping the team succeed at the coffee shop, the students can take what they’ve learned and apply it to a job in the workforce.
“The job market is crazy out there for people of general abilities, but for people with special needs it's even tougher,” she explained. “It can be tough to find jobs and to hold them."
Russell told 41 Action News that seeing the students grow has been fulfilling.
“It's touching, rewarding,” she explained. “I love my students."
On Thursday, several students stopped by to get a drink.
The menu, which already contains a number of drinks, continues to grow as the team gets comfortable in the kitchen.
“We've got coffee, hot tea, iced tea,” said Hamilton. “I have a lot of friends that come in. The first thing they'll come in and do in the morning is get their hot chocolate or coffee."
After seeing the students run the store for several weeks, Russell said she’s proud of what the team has accomplished.
“It goes to their futures,” she said. “It goes to their skills. It goes to their skill set. It's not just working in the coffee shop."
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
