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Ellington students pilot Cowbell storefront to teach special-education job skills
Summary
District staff described a student-run storefront called the Cowbell, opened as a soft launch in May, where students in the Eclipse program make and sell T-shirts and mugs; funding came from special-revenue grants and the program aims for a full launch in the fall and to be self-sustaining over a three-year horizon.
District staff and program leaders told the board the Cowbell is a student-run storefront started to give post-secondary and special-education students hands-on experience in producing, marketing and selling goods.
Mister Mitchell described the project’s origin in 2023 and said the special education department obtained grants and used special-revenue funding to buy equipment including a printer, heat press, hat press and mug press. He said a soft opening began May 6 with district employees invited to order from the website so students could practice the production and order-fulfillment process.
Eclipse teacher Gail (identified in the meeting) showed photos and described current product lines — short-sleeve T-shirts and mugs — and said the program anticipates expanding to sweatshirts, tumblers and other customizable items for a full online and in-person launch in the fall. Gail said students are learning point-of-sale transactions, budgeting, and customer service.
Mitchell and other staff said the Cowbell’s initial inventory and store account were funded through special-revenue and grant sources that serve the Eclipse program and other collaborative programming; staff said revenues from sales will be reinvested to buy supplies and grow the program. Board members and staff said they hope the program becomes self-sustaining within three years and can offer students transferable skills for employment.
Board members asked how success will be measured; Mitchell said success would be students working in the community, reinvesting proceeds into programming, and students gaining pride and job skills. No formal board action was taken on the Cowbell during the meeting.
