WeGo coffee shop allows transition students to practice life skills while selling beverages to students and teachers.

“It is just a good way for them to practice their skills with everything, money, interacting with people, and with following directions,” transition teacher Katie Sullivan said. “They make coffee, smoothies, tea, they take orders on the phone, they take orders on email, and then they deliver it to teachers.”

Students interview with the administration before being allowed to work in the coffee shop.

The staff that help out are special education teachers Sullivan, Laurie Majchrowski, Valerie Cook, Maggie Labuhn, Isaac Spear, and Lucia Carlos.

Sullivan believes the purpose of the business is to teach the transition students vocational skills.

“The goal is not profitability, we could care less how much money we make. The main basis of what we do in transition is teaching them how to be workers, be a good employee, how to get a job, interview for a job, and they do all of that with working in the coffee shop,” Sullivan said.

The coffee shop runs during the school year from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday to Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Fridays. Drinks offered are hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea, iced tea, hot cocoa and smoothies ranging from $1 to $2 to any student, teacher, and staff.

Sullivan enjoys seeing transition students progress.

“Probably one of the coolest parts about (helping out) is that you can see your students learning right in front of your eyes. The first time they make a specific drink they might be really confused and have a really hard time. But then you know every time they do it, you get to see the progression every single time they practice something,” Sullivan said.

One of the events that transition students do is sell hot chocolate and candy canes before winter break.