As freshman Hafza Da’ud walks into school Tuesday and Thursday mornings, she said she looks forward to stopping by Cafe 159 ½ and picking up a donut before class.

“Some people don’t really like breakfast (at Park), like me. I basically only eat breakfast Tuesday and Thursdays which is the day that it is open because I like donuts,” Da’ud said.

Senior Cafe manager Bre Dickens said her favorite part of running the Cafe is getting to interact with students.

“I like the customers. I like to greet them saying ‘good morning’ and ‘what’s up dog,’” Dickens said.

Special Education teacher Christine Tvrdik said she believes Cafe 159 ½
benefits both the  customers and students selling coffee and donuts.

“It creates a lot of great experiences for the kids in the class,” Tvrdik said. “The planning, the organization, the scheduling, the set-up, the clean-up and then obviously the customer service skills that go along with it are probably the biggest benefits.”

Tvrdik said Special Education students use the money they make to give back to the school and community.

“We participated in the sock drive, so we used money to donate which is also a great activity,” Tvrdik said. “We did online shopping to order socks.”

Da’ud said she likes the way the money made from Cafe 159 ½ is allocated.

“It’s better (the money goes back to the school) instead of having the kids keep it. This way the money is going to a good cause,” Da’ud said.

Sophomore Leo Zeigle said he enjoys the coffee shop before school because of its convenience.

“If kids are hungry they can have a quick snack before school and it’s pretty cheap too,” Zeigle said.

Cafe 159 ½ sells donuts and coffee from 8:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room C159 ½.