Gallery • 4 Photos

Addison Baer

Workers Courtney Lackey (L) and Andela Gruban (R), heading out to deliver an order

It’s hard to believe that what started as one cart with a few snacks over 20 years ago has evolved into a full-blown business inside our own school. The Knight’s Cafe is a student-led organization put in place to aid special needs students in developing life skills and the tools that they need to get jobs after graduation through food service. The students play a large role in every aspect of the Cafe’s function, and a lot of them have developed a passion for helping people.

The Knights Cafe operates 1st, 2nd, and 9th period out of the cafeteria. To order, students and staff can go up to the concession window, place your order, and receive it as soon as it’s made. Alternatively, there’s also an option to place your order up to a week in advance through a Google form  and have it delivered via cart to your 1st period class.

“Everybody coming into school loved Dunkin and Starbucks, but one of my goals is to make this better than those places so everyone wants to buy their coffee here,” said Knight’s Cafe lead, Mrs. Tiffany Haraburda, life skills and autistic support teacher, when asked what she took inspiration from.

Haraburda worked diligently over the summer to come up with new ideas for the Knights Cafe. She asked around and noted what products people would want to see, and she implemented those new products this year.

“There’s so much new,” Haraburda said. “We have brand new products that we’re going to be sharing through the land of Norwin. We also have iced coffee which is exciting, and new students that you’ll be able to see throughout the building.”

There’s a large variety of flavors available to make your morning coffee customizable, including pumpkin, hazelnut, vanilla, and caramel. The students have expressed excitement about the work they do.

“The Knights Cafe is really fun,” said Knights Cafe worker, and senior Andela Gruban.  “I like to help around here. To help by making coffee. It’s really fun.”

The students help others, and they also help each other. The experienced students help out the ones who have never been there before, simulating the job experience of training a new employee while also running a business. The Cafe workers complete all the tasks of running a business from food preparation, inventory, transactions, customer/ employee interactions, etc.

Each student has their own independent skillset, and the staff emphasizes each student’s personal strengths and leads them closer to working a post-graduate job.