Sterling elementary students' coffee cart rolls snacks, smiles to classroom doors

STERLING – Sterling’s Washington Elementary School students are brightening teachers' Friday mornings with a snack, a smile and a hot cup of joe.

Washington paraprofessional Peggy Craft said her Life Skills students help run the Love-Life-Latte coffee and snack cart, which helps the students practice basic language, math, teamwork and socialization skills.

Every Monday, the students place order forms in teachers' mailboxes and collect them later in the week. On Friday, the students assume various roles, including cashier, coffee maker, cart pusher and cleanup crew, to deliver up to four orders at a time.

Teachers and staff can buy coffee with creamer, tea, hot chocolate and various snacks, including muffins, granola bars, Cosmic Brownies and Belvita bars. Craft said all the money is used to repurchase supplies for the cart.

“Every week we assign a different student for a different role, and then every week it switches so that they learn about sharing, working together and collaborating,” Craft said. “We have them work with dollars and quarters a lot so that the cashier can practice basic math skills.”

Washington student Aidan Gray said he likes pushing the cart and yelling “coffee delivery” when making deliveries. Craft said that is great for Gray, who is usually less verbal.

“It can be hard for people to socialize when you don’t have the words to socialize,” Craft said. “He gets excited for this. We’re to the point that he knows that every time we get to a room to yell ‘coffee delivery,’ and it’s amazing to see.”

Craft said cart pushing also serves as a useful way to help the kids regulate their energy.

“There’s an occupational therapy skill called ‘heavy work,’ which regulates the nervous system,” Craft said. “Some of our kiddos have a hard time; their neuron transmitters are just booming all the time. So, heavy work helps to get that energy out in an appropriate way, and the cart pushing is a great tool for that.”

Paraprofessional Mary Stern said that when the kids are all done, they help wash the coffee machine and prep area while other classmates help count the inventory to see what they need to purchase before the following week’s delivery.

Craft said the program started in September after staff wrote a grant proposal to the Sterling Schools Foundation to fund the purchase of the cart and supplies. Since then, the cart has sustained itself and become a favorite staple around the school.

“It’s become bigger than our classroom,” Craft said. “It starts everyone’s day off on a positive note.”