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Mostly Cloudy Cup of cheer at Cup-o-Joe
Baldwin’s special-ed. student-run café serving up more than coffee
Hidden away in room 111 at the Baldwin Senior High School is a café that’s brewing up much more than coffee. The location isn’t great — Cup-o-Joe is wedged between a bathroom and an elevator — and the baristas can’t whip you up a low-fat, half-caff latte with extra foam and cinnamon. But that’s not really what this establishment is all about. It is, rather, a place where special education students in BHS’s Life Skills program can gain real-world work experience in a safe and familiar space.
Cup-o-Joe was founded by Helen Kanellopoulos, a special education teacher from Oceanside who has been at BHS for six years. She explained that the café is open to school staff twice a week for 40 minutes, and is geared toward enhancing the students’ “vocational skills and abilities.”
Kanellopoulos, who is on hand for most shifts at Cup-o-Joe, said she got the idea for the program after seeing a similar operation at Calhoun High School in Merrick. She described founding the program as she bustled around, straightening napkins, plating the baked goods donated by BHS staffers and pouring the hot beverages the Cup-o-Joe’s student workers aren’t allowed to touch.
“The program’s start-up costs were funded through donations,” Kanellopoulos explained. “And now the café sustains itself with the things it sells. All profits go towards the café and to pay for things that are needed for Cup-o-Joe.”
The operation is modest but bustling. Two greeters, Mia and Michelle, welcome customers to the café, where Hostess Melanie and Menu Host Nicholas see that they are seated. Bermill, the runner, and Rosie, the waitress, bring chef Hector’s creations to the table, and Emily, cashier, takes care of the rest. Cup-o-Joe’s workers oversee four tables and 10 chairs as well as a modest take-out trade.
The customers generally know all the students by name, and also understand what each child should be complimented on. This familiarity among workers and patrons is something Kanellopoulos believes is central to Cup-o-Joe’s success. She explained that although her charges also get experience in places like Pathmark and CVS, Cup-o-Joe is the most supportive place for them to learn about the working world.
