Brewing Belonging: Woodridge High’s Classroom Coffee Shop Serves Up More Than Lattes

During second and ninth periods, the Woodridge High School media center fills with the aroma of fresh coffee and the sound of students taking orders. Behind the counter, students are running a coffee shop while building skills they can carry into life after graduation.

The shop brings classroom learning into a real business setting. Students take orders from classmates and staff, prepare drinks, handle payments, and deliver orders. Each student has a role that supports their individual strengths and goals, whether that means greeting customers, using a communication device or picture menu to take an order, organizing supplies, or delivering drinks.

“Every job in the shop connects to a skill students will use beyond school,” explains Marybeth Roldan Toci.
Madelyn Dresp also highlights the shop’s combination of affordability and quality, showing that customers can enjoy both without sacrificing either.

Real Work, Meaningful Learning

Each shift provides hands-on practice with functional skills connected to students’ individualized education programs. Communication is a daily focus as students greet customers, take orders, and answer questions using speech, communication devices, or visuals.

Students also practice money management by counting change, tracking sales, and learning how supply purchases affect the shop’s budget. Workplace routines help them follow multistep directions, complete tasks in sequence, and work together as a team.

These responsibilities create opportunities to build independence, stay focused, and take pride in a job well done. Serving classmates and staff also encourages conversation and collaboration, helping students strengthen connections throughout the school.

Connecting Through PBIS

The coffee shop will soon become another way to celebrate positive choices through Woodridge’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, program. Students who earn PBIS recognition will be able to redeem rewards at the shop, bringing more customers to the counter and creating additional opportunities for the student baristas to practice their skills.

Each visit will offer something meaningful on both sides of the counter: recognition for positive choices, real-world learning, and a chance to connect.

More than a place to purchase coffee, the shop is helping students contribute to their school community and build a sense of belonging, one order at a time.