They named it BrewHaHa, but it has a much deeper purpose than making coffee, chai or Italian sodas. The Life Skills students at Shoshoni High School take special pride in taking and preparing orders for designer coffee and other drinks each morning at the K-12 school on the northwest corner of one of Fremont County’s original towns.
Amber King runs the program out of her expansive classroom with a view of the mountains and the Wind River Canyon to the north.
She began teaching at Shoshoni after starting her collegiate training at Nebraska-Kearney before transferring to Chadron State.
She is originally from Kearney.
“I attended Chadron during the Danny Woodhead years,” she said of the Chadron Eagle who later had a great career in the National Football League.
King is in her 13th year at Shoshoni.
“I have a case load of six students from kindergarten to 21-years old,” King said.
In Special Education, services can be offered to children and young adults until they’re 22.
BrewHaHa is presently only available to staff members, but that doesn’t mean mornings aren’t busy at the workstation in the corner of her classroom.
“Some years we’re open to students,” King said. “This year, it’s just staff.”
King takes the orders via an online form.
“We have the orders by 9 AM and start making drinks,” King said. “Some days are pretty busy.”
They offer a weekly special as well.
At around 9 AM, Libby Litz walked into the classroom with a smile on her face, greeted Amber, and went right to work.
“When I started here, we were sending kids to Riverton to get job skills,” King said. “That takes an hour out of the day just going and returning from Riverton. They were out of my control. I wanted to be able to help the kids learn important life skills in the workplace.”
The skills she spoke of are often referred to as “soft skills.” Being able to make change, to take money, to answer the phone, and to interact with people.
The challenges a special needs student faces are beyond what a traditional student encounters. Special needs students are often treated differently even with the best intentions, placing them in a situation where they interact with the public in a positive, mutually beneficial fashion is a great learning tool.
When asked what she was doing, Libby was quick to respond, “I’m a barista.”
A barista she was; without guidance, she began to prepare a line of paper cups and asked Amber what the orders were.
Libby began boiling water, filling an impressive array of professional coffee-making equipment with water and the precise amount of grounds for each drink, and dutifully noting each order.
It was impressive.
“I like to see people,” Libby said. “I can do things on my own.”
Libby aspires to work in a craft coffee shop one day, maybe even own and operate her own drive-through coffee business.
She is in her seventh year at BrewHaHa and is a seasoned pro.
When asked what the best drink on the menu was, she said with a wide grin, “The peanut butter white mocha.”
That’s a drink everyone should try, with the recommendation of a professional barista.
The blending of Life Skills classes with real-world experience is invaluable to the students at Shoshoni. The welcoming environment, the obvious love and respect present in Amber King’s classroom, and the genuine pride her students feel in working at the coffee shop are invaluable.