On December 2, the Norwin Works “Barkery” officially opened their store on the castle production lab website for the holiday season and began selling dog treats to the community. These treats are made with love by students in the Norwin Works Program, advised by Mrs. Malissa Cheplick. All proceeds go directly back to funding the program.
Watch a YouTube short video about the Barkery here.
Students have been making the treats in Norwin High School’s food lab, room 141, since the beginning of the year. To choose the flavors they would sell, dog-owning students took home samples to their furry friends
A couple of days a week, the students in the Life Skills classes bake new batches of treats to keep up with demand, providing an educational environment similar to a real workplace.
“The kids measure, mix, roll, and cook everything,” said Cheplick. “No matter what challenge the student has, there’s something they can do. It gives everybody a job.”
The Norwin Works Program hopes to create a pathway to employment for special education students. According to Advanced Autism Services, an organization that conducts research to support children with autism spectrum disorder, approximately 85% of adults with autism struggle to find employment. By exposing students to a workplace environment while they are still in high school, the program prepares them for an independent life after graduation.
According to Norwin School District’s official description of the program, “we [special education students and teachers] work on soft skills which are needed for gainful employment.”
Programs such as Norwin Works! Provide meaningful education and guidance for the Norwin students who need it the most. While providing a fun and educational experience for students, these treats have also become beloved by the Norwin community.
“Dogs are loving these more than their normal treats,” said Mrs. McCurdy. “Even the dogs that don’t usually like treats love these ones.”
One such dog is Murphy Seese, owned by Norwin sophomore Ryann Seese. Murphy, when interviewed about his opinion on the treats, said “Grrr.” Clearly a good sign.
Click here to watch Murphy’s interview.
The orders have been coming in almost non-stop, which has been great for the Norwin Works! students.
“We’ve been getting a lot more orders than we expected ,” said Cheplick. “So, we’ve been working on answering phone calls and general customer service tasks with the students.”
These treats are making an impact reaching far beyond Norwin families as well. Beth Currey, a math teacher at Norwin and the vice president of One by One Rescue, a Connelsville rescue focused on finding loving homes for neglected dogs, has been a top customer.
“They [the treats] are an amazing way to show the dogs they are loved,” said Currey. “A lot of our dogs have never been loved by families, so they’ll be very excited to receive these treats.”
Ultimately, although the Barkery has been a massive success in the community, the real importance of these treats is the impact they are having on Norwin’s students. This “Barkery” creates connections and employment skills that will last for life.
“I think it’s an amazing way for me and my friends to get our real-world experience,” said freshman Norwin Works! student Timmy Langer. “It’s a real bakery experience!”
