Fuel up, Falcons

The family and consumer science program at Aplington-Parkersburg High School has started a new endeavor this year with a coffee shop class called Falcon Fuel.

 

The end result is a teachable moment for students, while also providing delicious beverages to kickstart A-P's school day.

 

At the beginning of the year, students visited Mary Meyer at The Peppersprout/Peppercorn Pantry in Aplington to see how she operates her coffee business and take away ideas to get the ball rolling.

 

The students put together a mock business plan and even had a mock interview for a mock business loan with local banks. The donations they received from local banks, businesses and clubs allowed Falcon Fuel to start ordering the equipment needed to get started.

 

Olivia Lester, an A-P alum and employee at Natural Grind in Grundy Center, met with the students to help guide the setup and flow of the coffee shop. She provided tips and instructions on best practices for making different coffees to serve.

 

After weeks of setting up and developing smoothie recipes, the coffee shop was ready to open for the first day - Lester returned to help the students with their first orders.

 

The class will be offered again this trimester, and high school students that work at Falcon Fuel have an opportunity to receive an internship credit by working outside of class hours. The shop generally provides students with the opportunity to learn several employability skills. Students can help staff Falcon Fuel during study hall or free periods. 

 

Falcon Fuel hopes to be open multiple times during the week to meet the coffee and smoothie needs of students and staff. The shop was also recently open during A-P's youth basketball tournament last weekend, and there will be future opportunities for the community to enjoy Falcon Fuel in the future.

 

And just in time to stuff the stockings of A-P students, the shop also offers punch cards of $10 or $20 value that students can use instead of cash to make purchases. Those looking to purchase the punch cards can contact Ms. Heuer at erin.heuer@a-pcsd.net.