The perfect blend

Something special is brewing after the purchase of Union 25 Co. by Creston Community School District.

Union 25 Co. first opened in June 2021. When Stacey Ray decided to move on from her coffee shop, she gave the school district first dibs. This relationship was a year in the making, according to ECC Principal and Special Education Director Callie Anderson.

“Originally, I wrote a grant through the Iowa STEM BEST and it was awarded to my kindergarten building at the Early Childhood Center,” Anderson said. “The goal of the grant was connecting kindergarten learning and science and math to their application in careers in the Creston community.”

After being awarded the Iowa STEM BEST grant, Anderson quickly got to work. Working with the high school CAST program, kindergarteners were able to take virtual tours of local businesses.

“We could see our learning actually applied in these businesses. When we learn about forces of motion, we connected with Stalker Chevrolet and they showed us their use of ramps and how force helps them do their job. We talked with Jason Hyde from the DNR when we had our animal unit,” Anderson explained.

While Anderson and her students were reaping the rewards from the original grant, she was made aware of another grant, the STEM BEST HD grant. This grant can only be awarded to schools who have already received the original STEM BEST grant.

“I had to do some thinking about, how could I extend the learning that’s happening in Kindergarten,” Anderson said. “Through some networking, I determined that I wanted to write this grant to be a work-based learning experience focused on our students who receive special education learning services.”

With the new grant, Anderson planned to create a simulation lab in the high school through which special education students could learn the skills needed to work in various community businesses. However, when Ray put Union 25 Co. up for sale, the plans changed.

“It just hit me. What a better opportunity to provide skills based civic learning opportunities for these students who might not otherwise be considered for employment but to purchase the coffee house and have it be a student-run business,” Anderson said.

This isn’t the school’s first endeavor in the coffee world. As part of the original grant idea, a coffee cart had been set up in the high school called Panther Perk, run by special education students.

Union 25 Co. has always been a part of this project. Before selling the shop, Ray had planned to teach the Panther Perk team recipes to some of her drinks for their coffee cart. With the purchase of the coffee shop from Ray, the school has now gained access to all her recipes as well. The shop will be moved to the school’s campus, though exact location is not yet known.

When buying the coffee shop became an option, Anderson had to quickly change gears. She wanted to use the STEM BEST HD grant toward the purchase of the coffee shop, a project that would be much more expensive than the original plan.

“I had to do a grant modification, because I had these grant dollars that were set for one purpose, and any time you change course, you have to get approval,” Anderson said. “It’s still tied to our goal of work-based learning experiences.”

The change in grant purpose was approved, with the amount changed to $26,000 to pay for the entirety of the coffee shop, including equipment and supplies. The school board approved the purchase Feb. 19. Anderson received the keys two days later, making the shop officially the school district’s.

Anderson hopes to involve as many students as possible as the coffee shop prepares to open.

“FBLA can help write the business plan and create the vision for it. We can work with the CAST crew on the marketing,” Anderson said. “I want to go to the design class at Creston High School and challenge them to have a design contest to design our new sign.” The shop will be be called Panther Perk, like the coffee cart before it.

As for students working the shop, Anderson hopes to pair special education students with members of the high school’s Students of Service group. Overall, Anderson said the goal of the coffee shop is to provide real life work experience for those who might otherwise struggle to get it.

“I not only want to build the employability for all our students, but especially for those who might otherwise not be considered employable, and they’re going to leave high school with job experience on their resume. To me, that’s just the coolest part,” Anderson said.

While the coffee shop has no opening date yet, Anderson said they plan to have a soft opening for the district first. However, she eventually wants the shop to be open to the community.

“My goal is to provide this service for the community. How can you make it more authentic for these kids than to allow them to serve the community? There’s no better experience for them,” Anderson said.”