Loveland High School’s new cafe, Loveland High Grounds, has become a popular spot with students and staff – don’t try to go there during the passing term.

In an effort to provide a service valued by the student body while giving interested students valuable career skills, the café is open all day, albeit at irregular hours.

Federal guidelines require the cafe to close during breakfast and lunch periods, and to avoid dozens of students all trying to order lattes in seven minutes, overwhelming staff and putting late students in class, it also closes between classes.

But during off-hours in class, many teachers allow students to run around and grab a coffee or energy drink, and a large crowd had gathered in the cafeteria Tuesday morning for drinks.

The staff at Loveland High Grounds, which opened just a few weeks ago, is made up entirely of culinary students. They handle everything from recipe development and drink preparation to money management and dishwashing, and receive internship credit for their participation. in the class.

“The kids love it, and it gives them an advantage when applying for jobs,” said Sam Kressin, who teaches in the class. “They get their ServSafe Manager certificate, they go through that training before they can work here. So it’s a really good plus on a CV, if they want to work anywhere in the food industry or attend culinary school. Even if they don’t want to work in this industry, the soft skills they learn are useful for any job. Arrive on time, handle the cash register, all that.

Abbi Williams, an LHS senior who works at the cafe, stopped by Loveland High Grounds Tuesday morning to pick up her favorite, a cold drink called the Blue Raspberry Coconut Energy Howl.

“Look at this!” Williams said, holding up the bright blue frozen drink. “Who wouldn’t want to drink this?” It’s so good.

Williams, as an employee, gets half-price drinks at the store even when she’s not working, which has led her to purchase them quite frequently.

“They are dangerous,” she said. “All my money goes here.”

Emily Sandersen, also a senior, said she became interested in the course after taking cooking classes such as catering, another example of LHS students gaining real-world work experience throughout their careers in high school.

She spends every Wednesday and Friday morning working at the cafe, she explained while making a frappuccino for a customer, and sometimes also works Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is otherwise in class working on course materials for the coffee course during this period. .

“I loved learning how to cook, how to prepare things for myself and my family, especially through the catering classes where we prepare larger meals,” Sandersen said. “And the coffee bar, I thought it would be a lot of fun and a good work experience. Ever since I saw it on the course list, I said, “I have to take all these courses.” So I took everything I could.