West Newsmagazine 11-7-18

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Parkway West marketing students with their teacher Holly Weber [center]
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By BONNIE KRUEGER
It’s an early morning for barista Erin
Clay and student manager Pierce Burns as
they prep for the morning coffee rush at
Parkway West High.
Clay and Burns are part of the Blue Brew
Crew, which operates the in-school coffee
shop each morning from 6:40-7:20 a.m.
Also on the team are Garrett Walker and
Clay’s twin sister, Alison. The Blue Brew
coffee shop made its school debut on Aug.
20 as a Marketing 2 venture.
“In our Marketing 1 class, the students
learn the basics,” explained marketing
teacher Holly Weber. “In Marketing 2, it’s
about taking what we learned and putting it
into practice. Blue Brew is designed to be
an extension of the classroom through promotions,
product development, campaigns
and accounting.”
Burns participates in Blue Brew’s daily
operations but it is the advertising aspect of
marketing that interests him most.
“We only get to advertise about once a
week, so the coffee shop itself is really the
advertising,” he explained. Advertising has
included an article that ran in the Pathfinder
school newspaper as well as a full-length
infomercial. The visibility is paying off.
Essential Skills student Vivi delivers coffee to
teacher assistant Matt West, with support from
her speech language teacher Michelle Stein.
All profits are put back into the business
and into West Chest, which is designed to
meet academic or physical needs of the
student body. The Blue Brew Crew hopes
to collect at least $1,000 to give to West
Chest this school year.
In the classroom, marketing students
assess each day’s sales, inventory supplies
and determine if any products should be
added. Recently, the students added hot
chocolate and the seasonal favorite pumpkin
spice latte to the coffee shop’s menu,
which also includes mocha and vanilla
lattes and iced or hot tea.
Working in the shop also has practical
applications.
Clay, a senior, applied for the volunteer
position to earn community service hours
for the National Honor Society. Similarly,
students, such as Burns, may use the volunteer
hours for the A+ program, which
provides post-secondary education scholarship
money.
Weber successfully ran a similar program
at Parkway North High before transferring
to West two years ago.
“Not only are they learning back-office
operations, but this provides an authentic
work experience,” Weber said. “Workers are
learning to be nimble and quick on their feet.”
Weber’s marketing students aren’t
the only ones involved with the coffee
shop. Special Education teacher Wendy
Zieleskiewicz uses it as a training ground
for students in her essential skills class.
The coffee shop offers a platform for students
to practice workplace and life skills
by filling and delivering drink orders for
teachers during the first period of the day.
“I like the activity,” said Geoff, an essential
skills student. “I get to talk to the people
who I deliver to, and it’s fun to deliver.”
For nonverbal student Vivi, the coffee
shop gives her an opportunity to engage with
adults using an interactive voice touchpad.
“This is such a great program that can
touch many lives,” Weber said. She added
that the next step for the Blue Brew is to
expand and build a permanent structure in
the school.