Student-run cafe reopens, expands at Leechburg Area School District

A new mobile food and beverage program is on a roll in the Leechburg Area School District.

Students enrolled in the district’s learning support program introduced the Creation Cafe Coffee Cart in August, selling hot and cold beverages and snacks to teachers in the elementary school.

The mobile cart is the newest addition to the existing Creation Cafe, located in the high school library.

The Creation Cafe opened in 2019 but had to close during the pandemic.

It reopened this fall and serves students and staff.

The mobile cart’s benefits are twofold, said program coordinator and art teacher Erin Hettrich.

It offers a convenient way for the staff to satisfy their caffeine cravings and keep hunger at bay without having to leave their classrooms. And the students learn workplace skills and earn money for supplies and a springtime field trip.

“Everyone, regardless of their perceived disabilities, should have the opportunity to work,” Hettrich said. “Unfortunately, in 2021, only 19.1% of (adults) with disabilities were employed, lagging significantly behind when compared with individuals without disabilities. Investing in this population can have a significant impact on the strength of the labor market.

“Integrating workforce competencies into our curriculum is a priority at Leechburg.”

Fifth grade teacher Jennifer Turner is a frequent cafe cart customer.

“It’s such a nice program, and I think it’s building those real-life, life skills for the students. The teachers benefit as well because we have them delivering,” Turner said. “I love the popcorn and the coffee.”

David Leech Elementary School fifth-grader Drake McMillen operates the new Creation Cafe Mobile Cart Wednesday at Leechburg Area School District. The cafe on wheels earns funds for students enrolled in the learning support program. ⁦@VNDNews⁩ ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/ONYuMWXSpD

— Joyce Hanz (@hanz_joyce) October 26, 2022

The cafe is staffed by about eight students in grades 5-12 enrolled in the learning support program.

Students’ job duties include taking orders, waiting on student and staff customers, cooking, inventory, preparation, accounting, cleanup and marketing.

Students use the Square App to receive customer payments.

For students who can’t read, signs posted throughout the cafe’s kitchen provide cues.

“For example, this year we have an amazing student who can re-create just about any font,” Hettrich said. “He may not be making coffee, but he writes amazing messages on our coffee sleeves and writes our menu.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Leechburg Area School District students and staff take a break in the reopened Creation Cafe, a student-run cafe located in the library. Proceeds from the cafe pay for field trips and other equipment for students in the learning support program.

Paraprofessional Antigone Kostiuk said the mobile cart has been well received by the elementary school teachers because they don’t have the time to walk to the cafe in the morning.

“Everyone came up with this idea to take the cafe to the teachers,” Kostiuk said. “The students are gaining confidence, interacting with other students and teachers, working on their speech skills and socializing.”

“They’re running a small business and using math and social skills,” Hettrich said.

The cafe is open from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. The coffee cart operates on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

Menu items include chips, popcorn, pastries, cookies, granola bars, Hot Pockets, nuts and cheese, breakfast biscuits and muffins.

Drink offerings include hot tea, coffee, iced coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, orange juice and water. Iced coffee, hot chocolate and popcorn are top sellers.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Leechburg Area High School senior Olivia Smythe fixes an iced coffee at the Creation Cafe.

Hettrich said sales have been strong, typically topping $200 in an hour.

Senior Olivia Smythe is enjoying her barista job. Making iced coffees is her specialty.

“I love it. I feel like I’m getting prepared for getting a job,” Smythe said. “I am operating the cash register, and I was scared to do that. But now I can operate it in my sleep.”

Hettrich said she hopes to take her students on a field trip to Brother Andre’s Cafe in Pittsburgh.

Hettrich’s cafe leadership team is rounded out by staff members Clair Hess, speech pathologist; paraprofessionals Kostiuk, Melissa Shearer and Heather Compton; Anne Romaniw, occupational therapist; and Rebecca Crooks, special education teacher.