Today during WIN time, Class Act Coffee representatives talked to students about the program in hopes they would apply to join the Class Act Coffee class. The program lets high schoolers in the North Kansas City School District run a coffee shop to learn the fundamentals of owning and operating a business.
”I feel like it would be a good experience, and I get to see how my future will be,” sophomore Keira Hamilton said.
Business teacher Zachary Johnson, who teaches the class, said students gain skills there through learning, getting hands-on experience with public speaking and management and deadlines and doing things, as opposed to theoretically learning on your own.
“Great opportunity to interact with public and speak with people that are outside of generation or outside of your normal kind of circle,” Johnson said. “And also opportunities for dual credits and learning additional things.”
The shop is located near the district’ Early Education Center.
“I used to work at Starbucks, and I actually really like being a barista, and I wanted to pursue going to Class Act Coffee, so maybe I could help others and make it a better place,” junior Leonel Madden said.
Students who want to join the program can visit classactcoffee.com to apply. They need teacher referrals, counselor referrals and a good discipline and attendance record, according to Johnson. After applications are chosen, students go do a shadow to make sure it’s something they want to do.
“It gets treated like an actual job and the fact that it’s run just by students,” interested sophomore Mary Morrow said. “I don’t really like being bossed around by adults; a lot of adults make it seem like I’m lower than them.”
