Greater Latrobe High School teaching life skills through a cup of coffee

LATROBE, Pa. — Serving up a cup of joe has a deeper meaning for some of Greater Latrobe’s High School students.

“Well, you make people happy by selling them a valuable amount of food and for a very cheap price too.”

Cats Café transcends your typical classroom, into a fully operational coffee shop inside the school.

The employees behind the counter are life skills students serving up drinks and baked goods, but the work they’re putting in teaches life lessons beyond the classroom.

“I got involved with it because I thought that would help give me a valuable work experience and also learn how to work in a proper work environment, well, before I graduate,” senior Mark Bellissimo said.

Students said that they saw the café helping them long after graduation in roles for future jobs. This was music to autistic support teacher Kelsey Beckas’ ears as that was the original concept behind the idea.

“We always put students first and we knew this was something we had to put in place in order for our kids to be successful and have a purpose in our community.”

She brought the coffee shop to the halls of the high school a few years ago, after hearing another local district doing the same for students with autism, and intellectual disabilities.

“I see how happy they are to serve their classmates and how important it is to them and how proud they are, which makes me super proud of them.”

It’s teaching her students more vocational and real-life work skills to help them transition into the working world after graduation.

“Being able to put something on a resume. I think a lot of times kids in my class, they don’t know what a resume is or what their skills are, now they do. They have real skills. And to have a purpose.”

While the students are being graded for their work behind the counter on tasks such as making deliveries, running the cash register and creating Google forms, the experience they’re carrying with them will last a lifetime.

“It’s cool to socialize, talk to my friends and stuff. It’s a really fun experience and really good work environment,” explained sophomore Aidan Salvatore.

The Cats Café will expand next year. The café is hoping to move into a new space that allows students to hone more vocational skills like using an oven or dishwasher. The new premises will also offer a more café feel.

All the money earned from the café benefits special education programs.

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