Abington High School students get real-life work experience within their high schools walls, with an in-school coffee window reports Katherine Scott for 6abc.

The school’s A.C.T.I.V.E Academy for Young Adults with Complex Needs includes The Perfect Blend, where students can get coffee at school.

The students working the coffee shop are the program and are 18-21, for students to stay to gain extra experiences and skills after senior year.

To help the students in the program with independent living skills and job skills, Cara Gimbel and Kathy Rafter, Special Education teachers, designed the curriculum for A.C.T.I.V.E. Academy.

“They go out to work sites, employability skills. We work on independent living,” said Gimbel, as she listed some of the program’s features. “It gives the students at the high school an opportunity to interact with our students with IEPs, our students with special needs in an authentic way.”

The Perfect Blend started as a coffee cart in 2015 and now runs on students’ donations. These days, the shop serves up 175 beverages a day.

“The students are working at a competitive pace and learning social skills. They’re interacting, and they can make mistakes that we can be there to help them with,” said Rafter explained.

Read more about The Perfect Blend coffee shop at the A.C.T.I.V.E Academy for Young Adults with Complex Needs at Abington High School at 6abc.