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Nottoway students run 'Cougar Cafe' as a hands-on life-skills program
Summary
Students at Attaway High School operate the Cougar Cafe to practice vocational and life skills, serving hundreds of orders since October and using proceeds for community projects and student activities. Teachers and staff say the program supports social, financial and culinary learning.
Attaway High School students demonstrated and described the Cougar Cafe program at the Nottoway County School Board meeting on March 13. The program, launched Oct. 21, 2024, has fulfilled more than 900 orders of coffee, tea and hot chocolate and gives students opportunities to practice money management, social skills and food preparation.
The superintendent’s presenter (identified in the agenda as "Doctor Martin") said students organized menus, developed recipes and handled shopping lists, adding that the cafe also donated meals to families at Thanksgiving and contributed to a local animal shelter and the school book fair. "They developed the recipes, they created a shopping list," the presenter said, describing students’ involvement in every step from purchase to preparation.
Students and staff described community partnerships and field trips tied to the program: visits to Citizens Bank and Trust, Blacks on Walmart for shopping practice, the local post office to mail Thanksgiving notes, and tours of the fire and police departments. One student, speaking during the meeting, said she liked school and the coffee program and invited the community to come by: "We’re doing a really good job at it," the student said.
Teachers said the cafe sits in a classroom-turned-bistro and that, during a roof leak, equipment was temporarily moved into classrooms and the team used a cart to deliver coffee door-to-door to teachers. Staff credited the project with building writing, communication and math skills and noted the program has engaged families by including parents in events and celebrations.
The presentation included a short video clip and photos from holiday events. Board members praised the initiative and encouraged continued community engagement; the board did not take formal action on the program during the meeting.
Board members said they expect the program to continue and suggested the cafe coordinate schedules and payment methods when it reopens more regularly. Staff noted it is not open every day and that future logistics would be worked out with school leadership.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the presentation; no vote or budget allocation for the cafe was recorded at the March 13 session.
