Perking Up the Barron Beanery

School:: Barron Collier High
Subject:: Special Needs Students
Teacher:: Gina Manville DeJager
Students Impacted:: 11
Grade:: 12
Date:: September 8, 2022

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Dawn A Bailey - $318.50

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 11

The grant was a direct benefit to 11 of our Learning Independent Functional Employment (L.I.F.E.) students 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. They 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 interns learned how to make various coffee drinks and one hopes to obtain employment as a barista in a community coffee shop. The students had numerous opportunities to practice problem solving skills and use their creativity to develop new menu items to market. They spun the coffee sign to encourage customers to come to our coffee shop. They 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.

The grant provided us with the annual startup costs for a few items from the Barron Beanery, but also provided the funds to spice things up and give our shop a fresh new look. We added an advertising sign to spin and coffee sleeves that had motivational words on them. The profit generated from our classroom enterprise paid for our Community Based Instruction (CBI) fieldtrips. We also donated a portion of our profit to three hurricane victims who lost their homes in the disaster.

The grant provided us with an invaluable learning experience. We are forever grateful to Mrs. Dawn Bailey and the Education Foundation for their generous support.

grant photo

Cougar

grant photo

coffee sleeves

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 startup materials for our classroom entrepreneurship. 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	Programmable coffee pot	$45.00
2	Coffee carafe	$38.00
3	Advertising sign to spin	$65.00
4	Creamer 2 flavors	$36.00
5	Cups 12 oz.	$17.00
6	Paper towels	$19.00
7	Whipped cream	$9.50
8	Stir sticks	$12.00
9	Drink sleeves	$38.00
10	Printable business cards	$19.00
11	Clorox wipes	$10.00
12	Coffee pot cleaner	$10.00
	Total:	$318.50

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