Ribbon cutting ceremony held for grand opening of newly renovated Tiger Cafe student-run coffee shop at Hackettstown HS
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (Warren County) – Hackettstown police officers, Mayor Jerry DiMaio, Hackettstown Business Improvement District Executive Director Laurie Rapisardi joined school officials and students at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the newly renovated Tiger Cafe, a student-run coffee shop located at Hackettstown High school.
The transition students, which are 18 to 21-year-olds at Hackettstown High School, first had a coffee cart business then expanded to the new classroom to sell coffee to school staff.
The school’s program focuses on the importance of Community Based Instruction (CBI). The CBI program takes students into the local community to acquire and practice everyday practical skills.
The activities in CBI encourage students to be self-sufficient through structured everyday experiences in the community. Students are taught in real-world settings by their teacher.
One such initiative within the school was the start-up of a functional coffee shop. The students named their shop the Tiger Cafe and just recently were able to move into a newly renovated space within the high school which has allowed them to fully practice the skills associated with running a coffee shop.
Through activities like Tiger Cafe, students are able to experience different social interactions in a safe environment which helps them grow and thrive in a changing society.
