BOISE, Idaho — There is something special brewing at Capital High School in Boise. The teachers and staff have their very own coffee shop called Rise n' Shine.
The shop is the brainchild of special education teacher Nikki Duncan.
"Rise n' Shine is our coffee cart name, we have kind of established a business within our school here," Duncan said. "We have our jobs like the greeter, the money taker, and the snack getter, so it's nice to see them grow into their roles."
Duncan said she loves being in her classroom, surrounded by her students and staff.
"I've been at Capital for eight years," Duncan said. "This is the RISE Program; it stands for reaching independence through support and education. We are just one of the special education programs here in the Boise School District. At this level, we focus on functional academics and life skills."
She said she was looking for a way to shake things up this year and make learning even more fun.
"So, we thought, let's do a coffee cart. Everyone loves coffee, and selling it teaches so many valuable skills for our students, she said"
That was how this little classroom coffee business was born. The cart has come to life with donations from friends, family and local businesses.
"I started a wish list for the coffee cart," Duncan said. "We teamed up with a local company called Push and Pour Coffee, and they have generously donated all of the coffee for us."
Coffee is not the only thing on the menu, they also sell homemade treats. Duncan said selling things is another great life opportunity for her students.
"We do things like measuring, baking, we prepare all the signs, we stamp our cups. We do all the things to get ready for coffee cart day," Duncan said. "Coffee is $2 and a treat is $1. Today on the menu we have banana bread, chocolate chunk cookies and brownie bites."
The classroom opens early every Wednesday morning for Capital High teachers and staff. She said the staffers line goes out the door because everyone looks forward to Rise n' Shine.
"They love it. It's great. Wednesday is late start, and so they love to get a coffee and a snack before they start their day," Duncan said. "A lot of staff say this is the highlight of their week. It's midweek, they look forward to coming to Rise n' Shine and getting their coffee every week."
The coffee cart has been making rounds at other schools as well.
"In addition to doing it here at Capital, we have been going to other schools in our district and serving coffee and treats to their staff," Duncan said. "We load everything up on the bus, we head to the other school, we set up and the other principals are really great about advertising for us and sending out the flyers."
The money the coffee cart earns goes to pay for field trips and other fun outings for her students. Duncan said she is making sure her students are learn life skills and get to know their community. She said it has been a great addition to the classroom and the coffee cart is here to stay.
"It's been a really great experience to watch our students interact with people they don't normally interact with. Sometimes in our special education world we are on our own little island," she said. "Every year, we'll do it."
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