Coming soon to the Trinity High School Cafeteria is “The Hiller Cafe featuring Crazy Horse Coffee.” Mrs. Giorgi, Autistic Support teacher, has collaborated with Crazy Horse Coffee owner and operator, James Bendel, to open this stand and to teach students skills that will be useful in the workforce.
“It’s going to be a combination of the business class and life skills classrooms. It’s a group effort,” says Giorgi.
The students from the life skills and autistic support classroom will be serving and crafting lattes in the stand. They will also be helping manage the stand by doing inventory, grocery shopping and cleaning.
“They will have real-life coffee shop experience that they can apply to a job in the community,” says Giorgi.
This stand wouldn’t have come to life without the support of Crazy Horse Coffee’s training and guidance and the grant from Washington Financial that helped pay for all the equipment.
The Hiller Cafe’s opening date will be after Thanksgiving in the Trinity High School Cafeteria. The stand will operate from 7:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. during the school day.
“Anyone is welcome to go down and buy a coffee with the teacher’s permission,” mentions Giorgi.
This stand will offer coffee treats such as hot chocolate, espressos, Americanos, lattes and chai tea. These products can only be purchased with a card; no cash will be accepted.
Everyone in the special education department is thrilled about this opportunity.
“The most difficult part is waiting to see everything come to fruition,” comments Giorgi.
This new coffee stand can be a great way to interact with new people and the school community. It may also be a way to save a few dollars on an expensive coffee from Starbucks and Dunkin’.
“If we have our own [coffee shop] here we will give you Starbucks/Dunkin’ quality coffee,” says Giorgi.
Make sure to stop by the stand after Thanksgiving break to support the students and grab a quality drink!
