Students flock to Cafe 118 for caffeine and connection
This student-run coffee station provides a caring context for students in the Life Skills classroom to develop academic, social, and professional skills. Students with and without disabilities collaborate to serve customers.
Senior Kasandra Canonico says, “Working at Cafe 118 is great. It’s fun. I feel like I’m really part of the SAHS experience”. Logan Bauer, senior, says, “I love working at Cafe 118, because helping all the kids is so much fun. I really think it is an amazing experience to be a part of.”
Mrs. Catlyn DiPasquale, librarian, has created a space in the library that exactly matched our vision when we started Cafe 118. Students have an opportunity to sit with a drink or treat during study halls and hang out with friends on the cafe side of the library. Mrs. DiPasquale stocked the area with fun brain breaks for the students such as diamond art and jigsaw puzzles. Mrs. DiPasquale says, “I always dreamed of the library being a place to accommodate the many needs of SAHS students. I want all students to feel welcome in their space. We have enough room to accommodate both academic study and much needed relaxation and peer connection.”
“We feel strongly that Cafe 118 is an inclusive experience for both the students who work here as well as the students who are our customers,” says Mrs. Christin Pintar, speech-language pathologist. We try to develop that sense of community by engaging students with monthly giveaway contests to win fun prizes. Our community is not only growing in person but online too. Cafe 118 has around 530 Instagram followers with more joining every day.
Mrs. Gina Chmielewski, life skills teacher says, “We always felt that Cafe 118 would be a great addition to SAHS but couldn’t have imagined just how much the students would enjoy having this available to them. We felt strongly about contributing back to student organizations to show our appreciation to the student body.”
Cafe 118 donates profits to 28 organizations and activities that directly benefit SAHS students.
Keep up with the latest happenings and photos at Cafe 118 by following them on Instagram.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
