The renovation of the Collinsville High School library in 2012 became more than just a teachable moment, it has provided a continuous learning experience.
A crowd gathers at the 1-year anniversary celebration of the Kahok Cafe / Photo by Roger Starkey
Kahok Cafe menu / Photo by Roger Starkey
Media Specialist Tracey Schmidt toured area high school libraries, searching for ideas, during the renovation process. Schmidt noted that both Belleville East and Belleville West high schools have cafes, and brought the idea back to CHS. Business teacher Dawn Dimitroff jumped at the opportunity to implement the Kahok Café in the renovated library.
Run primarily by students of Dimitroff’s Virtual Enterprise class, the coffee shop allows students to apply what they learn in the classroom in a real-world setting, “It is really a very self-driven class, which goes along with how Common Core wants the students to be more responsible for their own learning,” Dimitroff said.
Students offer ideas for running or promoting the business and, with her assistance, are responsible for implementing the ideas, even if Dimitroff thinks they may fail. “Sometimes they have great ideas and sometimes they have ideas that aren’t so great, but I still let them do it so they learn from it,” Dimitroff said.
An example of allowing the students to learn from their mistakes is a promotion from last year that gave away two Prom tickets. The price of the raffle tickets was set at $5 per ticket. After one week, only 10 tickets sold. The price was lowered to $1 the following week and 150 tickets sold.
Junior Collin Wenos appreciates the freedom he and his classmates are given. “My favorite part is feeling like you have your own business, thinking of things you want to try,” Wenos said. “We do things you can’t do in other classes.”
Two important lessons students learn at the café is how to work together to accomplish tasks and taking responsibility for their work. “If they do a poor job, it’s on them, not on me,” Dimitroff said.
Junior Alex Caputo proved his teacher correct. The most important thing he has learned from his Kahok Café experience, he said, is how to cooperate with people in the work environment.
A portion of the Virtual Enterprise class students’ grade is based on their performance when working at the café, Dimitroff said. Students are required to be punctual and exhibit good customer service skills.
Workers at the shop are divided into four categories; human resources, marketing, accounting and production. Students rotate between departments to gain diverse experience.
Students from a leadership class, who are required to perform volunteer work, and members of the National Honor Society also work at the Kahok Café. The students are not paid, but receive grades for class or volunteer hours. They also receive some of the products.
Work at the coffee shop begins at 7:15 each school morning, 30 minutes before the doors of CHS are open to the students. At 7:30, students with a Kahok Café pass are allowed into the building and to proceed to library. A pass is issued to anyone who requests it, but it can be revoked. No passes have been taken away since the café began operations, Schmidt said.
The volunteer workers conclude their shift at 7:45, leaving two students from Dimitroff’s class to run the shop during first hour, which is when the Virtual Enterprise class meets. The café is closed by the end of first hour. Each student in the class works one day per week in the café.
All profit earned at the Kahok Café is reinvested into operations or given to a charitable cause. A scholarship was awarded last year to a student from Dimitroff’s class.
The experience working at the café has given junior Mason Karsteter a new appreciation for entrepreneurs. The most important lesson he has learned is “the aspects of running your own business and how difficult it can be,” Karsteter said.
