Several months after a new partnership between South Park High School and Coffee Tree Roasters, the coffee shop inside the cafeteria at the high school celebrated its grand reopening on Friday, December 3. Since 2017, the South Perk Cafe has been part of the special education department’s vocational programming at South Park High School. The cafe is staffed and operated by high school students, giving them valuable retail and customer service experience.
District and high school administrators and high school teacher Mrs. Alexandra Youssef have been meeting with the owner and employees from Coffee Tree Roasters about the retailer’s Brewing Success program for months. The initiative brings Coffee Tree Roasters retail locations to area high schools for job training and employment skill-building. The partnership with Coffee Tree Roasters allowed the district to purchase equipment that can be found at Coffee Tree Roasters and coffee shops throughout the area. The Brewing Success program also connects South Park High School with training and support from Coffee Tree Roasters employees. High school students, with the help of high school staff, including paraprofessional and cafe manager Mrs. Kathy Coologhan, make and serve the drinks and work the cash register.
The coffee shop has been open for several months already, but the December 3 grand reopening celebrated the new partnership, opportunities, menu items and the debut of special holiday flavors. The coffee shop serves hot and cold drinks from homeroom through all lunches at South Park High School. Specialty drinks include lattes, smoothies and teas. The special holiday flavors include peppermint, peppermint bark and cookie butter. Throughout the day, there were games and contests for students and staff to win free drinks.