Grace Berbig
Opinions Editor

Have you wondered where that delicious smell of cookies wafting through the halls has come from this past week? We have an answer for you- Unified Cafe. Students in Unified sell cookies, muffins, trail mix, coffee and tea, among other delicious snacks. The Cafe has quickly become a success. The students make and sell the food themselves, and it appears they have a good time doing it.

“It is so fun, I love it,” said Jacob Stankavitz. 

Unified Cafe was created for special education students to gain job experience; learning money management, taking inventory, marketing, and even grocery shopping are a handful of their responsibilities. The students running the Cafe also designed a logo, which can be found on flyers around the school. It is completely student-run and has two advisors – paraprofessionals Alyssa Stamm and Alex Larson.

“The way I think about it is if they’re trying to ride a bike, it’s really hard to learn from a powerpoint. This is a really good opportunity for them and they have a lot of fun doing it” said Larson. 

Unified Cafe has already impacted the atmosphere at Orono, despite being open for a short period of time. The Cafe gives students an opportunity to talk to and become friends with students in Unified on their way to snack break, for example. The connections that have been made is a positive change for Orono; it’s impossible to walk into the cafeteria without a smile after talking to the students running the Cafe.

Sophomore Anna Schmidt, who helps out with the Cafe during snack break, agrees that the job experience it is giving the kids is very helpful.

“It is super fun to bake and cook with the kids, and there is always time to make memories with them and to have a good laugh. I am so happy to be a part of this” said Schmidt. 

Unified Cafe is open during snack break every Monday through Thursday, and they encourage you to stop by, say hello, and grab a homemade snack.