Students in Ms. Bonenfant and Ms. Scofield’s classes at TMS plan, shop for, bake, and operate a rolling cafe offering staff coffee and delicious sweet treats.
In the busy halls of Troy Middle School, students in Ms. Bonenfant and Ms. Scofield’s classes are brewing more than just coffee; they’re cultivating essential life skills and community spirit. From serving up morning coffees to baking delightful treats, these students are not only learning to plan, budget, and interact but also leaving a delicious impact on their school community.
One of the best ways to teach or develop new skills is by applying them in real-world situations. Ms. Bonenfant and Ms. Scofield’s classes at TMS are doing just that with the TMS Rolling Café and B’s Busy Bakers.
Students in Ms. Bonenfant and Ms. Scofield’s classes at TMS plan, shop for, bake, and operate a rolling cafe offering staff coffee and delicious sweet treats.
The foundation for this unique collaboration began last year. Ms. Scofield’s class explored ways to teach life skills such as planning and budgeting, and interacting with customers, while raising money for class events, field trips, and the Special Olympics. They decided to start a coffee cart for TMS staff on Fridays. Students prepared pots of coffee, creamer, and sugar, offering staff the opportunity to purchase a fresh, hot cup of coffee in the morning. The fundraiser was a hit, for both the students running the cart and staff lining up for their Friday morning coffee.
As the coffee cart rolled through the building, students in Ms. Bonenfant’s class began to plan weekly lunches for staff at Café Friday. Each week, students planned what they wanted to prepare, found recipes, created a grocery list, then cooked a meal for their invited guests, including TMS Principal Mr. McShane and School Resource Officers Officer Marble and Officer White, who quickly became regulars.
Café Friday also included special desserts for guests and students’ birthdays. The students behind Café Friday enjoyed every part of this work, from planning the meal to budgeting, setting the table, having great conversations during the meal, and even doing the dishes.
Students work on every step of the process – choosing recipes, making a shopping list, maintaining a budget, and of course, the baking itself!
School Resource Officer White is a big fan of the Rolling Cafe – and a regular guest at Cafe Friday as well.
Realizing they needed to earn money to support Café Friday and give back to the school community, the class decided to start a baking business, and B’s Busy Bakers was born. Every student is an integral part of the business, acting as bakers, salespeople, and advertisers to spread positive energy throughout the building. Mrs. Stewart is the head baker, Mrs. Kaarstad is the financial manager, and Ms. Bonenfant oversees purchasing and advertising.
As Life Skills classes, Bonenfant and Scofield’s classes often collaborate on projects and experiences. This frequent collaboration brought the Rolling Café and B’s Busy Bakers together, and it is now one of the most enjoyed events at TMS when these dedicated students bring their cart around the building.
The team of students and teachers take great pride in their work – as shown by this meticulous frosting work.
What do the students enjoy most? It’s safe to say just about everything.
“It’s hard to pick my favorite part of B’s Busy Bakers,” says seventh-grader Arieon Cuff. “I love to knock on the classroom doors and sell our baked goods. I am in charge of putting away all the groceries. I am also our class banker! My favorite thing to make is macaroni and cheese for Café Friday.”
“My favorite part of B’s Busy Bakers is reading the recipe and following the directions to make the chocolate chip cookies,” says ninth-grader Michael Kopcha. “My favorite thing to bake is banana bread muffins because they are wonderful and delicious.”
Seventh-grader Treivon Wallace says people’s reactions are his favorite part.
“My favorite part about B’s Busy Bakers is when I make people happy selling the cookies. My favorite thing to bake is chocolate chip cookies.”
How could you pass up one of these doughnuts?
“My favorite part of B’s Busy Bakers is hanging up the posters that let staff know when our bake sale is,” says eighth-grader Sidney Tracy. “My favorite thing we made was doughnuts. They had lots of chocolate on them!”
“I would always tell people, ‘Make sure you have your money,’” says ninth-grader Nathasha Wolfersteig. “I love making everything in the kitchen with Mrs. Stewart.”
Bonenfant and Scofield also say the TMS staff is extremely gracious to their students by purchasing coffee and baked goods whenever they are available. They hope their students have fun while learning new life skills and making memories with their peers and friends.
“Our students are becoming very confident in their communication skills, money skills, and reading skills,” says Bonenfant. “They are well known throughout the building, and you can see the pride they have in their smile and product! We are looking forward to growing our business and lifelong learners!”