Attention all SHS teachers! iExcel’s Sailor Launch coffee service will officially begin on Friday, October 4th.
This new service, created by students in the iExcel program specifically for high school teachers and staff, will be available weekly on Friday afternoons. For $10 monthly, participants can enjoy freshly brewed hot coffee or tea, a bakery item, and a piece of candy delivered to their classrooms. Each delivery will include a “Sailor Launch’s Fact of the Week,” a mini-flier with fun information selected by the students. In addition, Friday’s passing music will be sailor-themed to add a festive vibe to the project.
Faculty and staff can subscribe to the service by contacting SHS special education teacher Julie Meredith in room 125. Teachers who don’t want to sign up but still want a visit from the coffee cart are also welcome to join the fun. According to the program’s flier, the coffee cart can “dock at your door” if teachers give a “shout” while students pass by their door; for a fee of $3 cash, students will fill their order.
At SHS, the iExcel program accommodates students with a wide range of needs and cognitive, academic, social, and transitional abilities. Each student has an individual success plan to build adaptability, accountability, and confidence while providing students with a variety of opportunities to achieve their post-secondary vision.
This entrepreneurial project will help iExcel students raise money for their outdoor gardens and a fall 2025 trip to Walt Disney World. Traditionally, iExcel students plan and participate in a five-day trip as they prepare to graduate from the program. According to Meredith, the trip brings together many skills students have worked on throughout their education, including travel skills, money management, self-help, and sensory processing. “Seven or eight years of what we have been working on are applied at Disney World. Some students have never been on a plane before, and most have never been away from their parents before–or away from their parents for such an extended time,” she noted.
Stephen Fassnacht, one of the participating students, said he’s hoping the project will help him meet more teachers in the building. Working closely with a speech and language pathologist, students will practice greetings and making eye contact. They will also learn vocational skills, such as taking inventory, collecting money, and advising customers. Managing the coffee cart creates an authentic, real-world experience with time management as well as food and customer service.
Meredith commented, “Our kids are very funny and very smart. They love having relationships with teachers in the building. The kids get to stop by and deliver a coffee. It’s one more way for the teachers to get to know the great kids and the great cause.”