high-school-drug-testing

A CUP BEFORE CLASS

Red Land High's Coffee Bar Offers An Eye-Opener And A Chance To Interact

The teenagers walked into the high school lobby still rubbing the sleep from their eyes.  They shook off the morning fog long enough to set two quarters on the coffee bar and order a hot chocolate or cappuccino.

Red Land High School Principal Ed Novosel grabbed a Styrofoam cup with sweet powder in the bottom and added hot water.  A parent volunteer stirred.  An assistant principal snapped on the lid, and students grabbed their drinks and shuffled off, gabbing with friends before the bell that signals the start of school rang.

The makeshift wooden coffee bar -- named Pates' Place ( Red Land's school mascot is a Patriot ) -- was a fossil from post-prom parties of years past that just took up storage space and no longer served any purpose.  About two years ago, when Novosel started talking to parents about ways to provide drug-free after-school and before-school opportunities for kids, it found a new purpose.

Now, the principal serves the coffee on Friday mornings starting at 6:30 and lasting until school starts about an hour later.  On Thursday mornings, parents make smoothies for the students.

Parent volunteers also operate the coffee bar after school three days a week until business slows in the late spring.  Sometimes, the school hosts live music nights there on Friday evenings.

Parent volunteer and West Shore School District school board member Shelley Keebaugh said she enjoys listening to Novosel talk with the students as he takes drink orders.  He'll catch up with them about last night's wrestling match or the basketball game, or he'll check in with students who were struggling with some sort of problem to see how they're doing.

The coffee bar also gives Novosel a chance to connect with the quiet kids, the ones who he may not see through sports or school activities but are seeking a little pick-me-up in the mornings.

Junior Emily Frischkorn regularly grabs a cappuccino or coffee, which she says is much cheaper at school than at a local cafe or convenience store and starts her day out right.  And, she said, it's nice to see her principal, who, in a school of 1,250 students, she may not see much otherwise.

On busy days, usually in the winter, they'll serve up as many as 80 cups.  As the weather warms, Novosel said the coffee bar sees between 40 and 60 customers.

Nutritional information is listed on the wall behind the bar.  The school got on a health kick this fall after receiving a $98,000 federal grant to serve fresh fruits and vegetables.  Novosel said the fruit and vegetable trays set out when the coffee bar opens after school have introduced kids to things they might not try otherwise, such as asparagus and kumquats.

It's also allowed the coffee bar to offer smoothies on Thursday mornings.

"We're going to go through withdrawal when ( the grant ) stops," he said.  "We're hoping it gets renewed."

Regardless, Novosel will keep the coffee brewing.

Quick Cup

Red Land High School's coffee bar is sponsored by the school's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions.  The coffee bar is self-supporting with its 50-cent-a-cup fee for coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, cafe mochas, tea and a new drink Principal Ed Novosel seems quite proud of: a warm, spiced-apple beverage.

SADD gets whatever money is left after expenses.  The front of the coffee bar and all the cups are covered with anti-drug and anti-alcohol messages.