Fancy coffee chains don’t have anything on Bridgeport High School’s “Tribe-Brew-All,” a new cart roaming the halls of BHS that is operated by the Special Education Independent Living Skills students.  Serving hot chocolate, tea, and coffee, along with a wide variety of snacks, the students roll the cart throughout the building to sell to faculty and staff in need of a pick-me-up.  

 

“I look forward to the cart every morning,” said BHS French teacher, Dea Perine.  “It’s very affordable and I love interacting with the students while they sell me the merchandise.”

 

The cart was the brainchild of BHS teachers Marsha Coakley and Suzanne Randolph, who started tossing the idea around last year.  

 

“We wanted to create a real-world scenario in which the students could develop skills that would make them more employable,” said Coakley.  “The cart provides a convenient service to the faculty and staff and allows the students to practice their work skills.”

 

Students get to practice their social skills as well as many aspects of money management, including making change and budgeting.  They also stock the cart and make sure inventory is up to date.  The secret to their success, however, is the excellent customer service.

 

“The students selling the snacks and coffee are so professional and pleasant,” said Kitty Post, who is a long-term substitute in the building.  

 

Everything on the cart is a quarter and tips are welcome.  The profits will be tallied throughout the year and donated to either the Humane Society of Harrison County, Special Olympics or the Harrison County Backpack Program.  Any tips will be distributed among the workers every six weeks to spend as they wish and they will vote at the end of the year to determine which of the three charities will receive the donation from the profits.

 

“The faculty has had a wonderful reaction to the business,” said Coakley.  “Even our weekly clinic has requested a stop so they can make purchases.”

 

Tribe-Brew-All workers are upperclassmen who have earned their spot in the business.  For younger students in the BHS Independent Living Skills classroom, there are jobs available delivering newspapers to each teacher in the building.  Students are obtaining valuable work experience and skills but mostly, they are enjoying the process of working with the faculty and staff.

 

“I really love pushing the cart,” said senior Hannah Walker, a key part of the staff serving on the cart. “I get to talk to lots of people and give them coffee.”