PORTSMOUTH, Va. — At Manor High School, coffee is doing more than waking up staff members in the morning. It’s helping students build confidence, practice social skills, and gain real-world job experience.
Every Thursday and Friday, students run the Manor Coffee Express cart, taking orders, preparing drinks, and delivering them throughout the school.
The program is part of a Portsmouth Public Schools initiative called the "Coffee Cart Making & Delivery Student Business" program, designed to help special education students develop workplace and life skills.
The program is offered at all three Portsmouth high schools.
“With every pour, there’s purpose,” said 9th grader Tabitha Gallop, one of the students who helps operate the cart. Gallop said the experience has taught her the basics of being a barista, from preparing the coffee to serving customers.
“I learned to put water before you make the coffee and then put the coffee stuff in there,” Gallop said.
Students say the hands-on experience mirrors what they might encounter in a real job setting. Gallop said the skills translate easily to future employment in food service.
“Same if you were working in fast food or a coffee shop, like Starbucks,” she said. “I love Starbucks. I’m staying with it.”
The process goes beyond making coffee. Students take orders, prepare drinks, walk the halls to deliver them, and interact with staff members along the way. Teachers and staff often encourage the students with tips and positive reinforcement.
Instructional leader Delores Eure-Nutt, who helps oversee the program, said the goal is to make employment more accessible for students who may face additional challenges entering the workforce.
“Sometimes these students have a harder opportunity to get employment, and we want to make sure that we make it a little easier for them to get employment,” Eure-Nutt said.
The coffee cart program operates at all three high schools in the Portsmouth school district, giving more students the chance to participate.
Tenth grader Serenity Rager said the program appealed to her because it allows her to learn while doing something she enjoys.
“A little bit of sugar, not too much, and a little bit of creamer,” Rager said of her coffee preference. “But I just like mine strong.”
Strong enough, students say, to get them up early and ready to serve staff members each morning.
For the students behind the cart, the experience is about more than coffee; it’s about confidence, career readiness, and discovering what’s possible beyond the classroom.
