Expanding the Barron Beanery

School:: Barron Collier High
Subject:: Special Needs Students
Teacher:: Gina Manville DeJager
Students Impacted:: 10
Grade:: 12
Date:: September 1, 2023

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Dawn Bailey - $353.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 14

The grant was a direct benefit to 14 of our Learning Independent Functional Employment (L.I.F.E.) interns by allowing them to explore their potential as entrepreneurs though the Barron Beanery; however, the impact that the coffee shop continues to have on the entire school is exponential. L.I.F.E. students have gained numerous friendships with students and teachers through their interactions at the Barron Beanery. Many teachers look forward to their daily coffee deliveries and these social interactions are invaluable for our students. Our students have also gained confidence and self-worth through this experience.

The key outcomes of the project were gaining various entrepreneurial, vocational, social, financial, marketing and hospitality skills. The students had numerous opportunities to practice problem solving skills and use their creativity to develop new menu items. This year, we had green St. Paddy’s cold brews and Whole Latte’ Loves to help promote sales during various holidays. The interns also developed numerous financial literacy skills by making change for customers, making a daily deposit, paying taxes, and determining profit after expenses. They learned and demonstrated ethics in business and determined the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur versus working for an established coffee shop. With these skills, one of our former interns gained employment at a local coffee shop and another intern is also interested in becoming a barista once she finishes the program.

The grant provided us with new carafes and coffee pots for the year in addition to a cash box to help keep the money separated. This helps making change easier for our interns. The grant also provided us with materials and ingredients to spice up our menu. The colored straws, sprinkles, and clear cups created a new look for our drinks. We also added iced coffees to our menu this year, which really increased our sales and made it our most profitable year yet. The profit generated from our classroom enterprise paid for our Community Based Instruction (CBI) fieldtrips. We also donated a portion of our profit to a scholarship for a L.I.F.E. intern who has demonstrated vocational and entrepreneurial skills throughout the year and could potentially start their own business one day with support. The grant provided us with numerous invaluable learning experiences. We are forever grateful to Mrs. Dawn Bailey and the Education Foundation for their generous support.

Original Grant Overview

Goal

The goal of this classroom-based enterprise is to enable students with disabilities to explore their potential as entrepreneurs and develop the skills necessary to plan and operate a business with support and assistance. This opportunity will also further develop the knowledge and skills related to careers in the coffee/hospitality industry and increase work-related behaviors through guided vocational practice at our Barron Beanery Coffee Shop.

What will be done with my students

Student interns will begin the process of opening a coffee business by surveying their potential customers to determine client interests and preferences. The interns will explore new menu options, discuss inflation, and establish new prices that will allow them to continue to make a profit, as well as determine ideal serving locations for their consumers. Interns will then create a business plan and mission statement. The interns will continue planning by conducting research, practicing comparable shopping, and making calculations to determine the cost of each item. Interns will vote in the classroom to make business-based decisions. In addition to the pre-planning portion of the entrepreneurship, the interns will learn to make coffee, serve it to customers, and make deliveries throughout the building. They will have numerous opportunities to practice social interactions and gain customer service skills. Interns will also collect and count the money, make change, write bank deposit slips, determine profits, and demonstrate numerous other financial-management concepts, procedures and strategies related to business ownership.

Benefits to my students

The benefits of the Barron Beanery are priceless. With this opportunity, The Barron Baristas (my students) will gain confidence, learn the importance of ethics in business, develop effective working relationships to accomplish tasks, learn intrapersonal and critical thinking skills, practice safety and good hygiene practices, improve social and communication skills, as well as improve functional academic skills. They will also create professional relationships through regular communication with their customers. All these skills will increase the likelihood of the interns obtaining and maintaining successful employment in the future.

Budget Narrative

All of the items requested through this grant will provide the opportunity to expand our coffee business. The cart will allow us to open a new location and make more deliveries. We would like to add iced coffees to our menu and will need additional cups for that. Any profit made through this experience will be used towards Curriculum Based Instruction (CBI) trips, rewards for our interns, and offset the cost of any required supplies for the L.I.F.E. program. We will also make a donation to an organization of the interns’ choice.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	utility mobile cart	$250.00
2	20 oz plastic cups, lids, straws	$40.00
3	cash box	$25.00
4	coffee carafe	$38.00
	Total:	$353.00

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