For many, coffee is a go-to drink in the morning. That “cup ‘o joe” provides energy to get through the day. At Bleckley Elementary, a special group of students have been providing teachers with an opportunity to get that needed jolt while learning valuable skills in the process.
On Friday mornings, the “Jitterbug Joe Coffee Cart” makes its way around the halls, delivering coffee to teachers. The cart is operated by students in Riley Troili’s special needs class, a self-contained class of eight third through fifth grade students taught by Troili and parapro Tisha Bailey.
How did it come about? Troili said in an email she was approached by SPED Director Dr. Cindy Felkins at the start of the school term. She showed a video of another school doing a coffee cart with their students.
Troili loved the idea. She said it took time to get the project started because of things such as getting a stove in her room and approval for the fundraiser. “Jitterbug Joe’s” debuted in January.
Troili said the name comes from her students being so active and the hope that the coffee delivery will provide teachers with extra energy plus “cup ‘o joe” being a name for coffee. She said teachers have been very receptive and encouraging and students love delivering the coffee each week.
Like any good business, the students have uniforms (matching aprons and caps) for their weekly deliveries. They also offer loyalty cards that allow teachers to earn free cups of coffee as well as gift cards.
Besides social skills, Troili noted her students were also learning skills covered in their standards for math, reading, and social studies. Plans for the profits include a fun, educational trip in May for her class as well as a project that Troili hopes will benefit the entire school. She added “I guess you could say something good is always brewing in Mrs. Troili’s class!”
Troili said she’d had people in the community ask how they could help. She said donations of baked goods would be appreciated. She also said gift cards could be purchased from the recently opened Daylight Donuts on Dykes Street.
For information on how you can help, including purchasing gift cards for teachers, call (478)934-3600.
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by BleckleyProgess.com
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