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'Positive for everyone' | Students with disabilities learning through coffee delivery business to teachers

Hamilton Middle School students are learning social skills while teachers get their coffee delivered every morning. It's a win for all, their teacher says.

HAMILTON, Michigan — Watch out, Starbucks. The students at Hamilton Middle School are coming for your multi-billion dollar brand. 

“We have teachers fill out an order form for a hot beverage. Could be coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea," said Taylor Sale, Intensive Resource teacher. 

Behind the booming sales of the school's Coffee Café is Sale herself. 

"Then every morning, the students read those order forms. They collect the money and then when all of the orders are filled, we get to go around and deliver them, which is the best part of the program," she smiled.

Running a business out of a middle school classroom is not without its bumps. But with service like these 11- and 12-year-olds provide, no other café can compete.

“Students that are in these specialized programs, they are a part of our school, they are important they matter," she said. 

The middle schoolers deliver the coffee right to the door of the teacher who ordered. Their teachers encourage them to knock at the door, greet the teacher and hand the coffee over. If they're feeling up to it, they can tell a joke to the class they're visiting. 

“Teachers just get to build relationships with students that they wouldn't see otherwise, and most of our students wouldn't have a majority of the staff as teachers," she explained. 

The only interruption welcome from teachers is a steaming cup of coffee in their favorite style, and a happy student delivering it to their door.

“Our students are just met with smiles, they know them by name," said Taylor.

The business is much more than just an interruption, though. 

“The students... they're reading the order forms, they're following directions," said Taylor. “They're working on social skills, like the customer service side of it, greeting someone saying 'goodbye,' 'have a great day.'” 

“They come in and this is their first experience. It gets them excited for the day," said Taylor.

Though she's the facilitator of this program, she says her students make it easy. 

“The great thing is I get to like sit back and watch the magic happen," she said. 

For sixth grader Anna Council, who is bound to her wheelchair, the Coffee Café means a new friend is always around the corner. 

“I feel happy, because I like to spread joy to other people," smiled Anna, “My number one goal here is to spread friendship."

Mrs. Sale's crew are Hamilton’s own morning pick-me-up. No coffee needed. 

    

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