Our senior students ditched the computers and picked up coffee cups for two full days when The Learning Place headed south and ran a barista course right here at school. 

We were lucky enough to have Adam Jones from The Learning Place leading the charge. Adam comes with an impressive CV, a restaurant manager, coach, personal trainer, and youth mentor, which basically means he can motivate you to do burpees while pulling a perfect long black (though thankfully, he stuck to coffee this time).

On Wednesday, ākonga discovered theory and that coffee beans are actually green before roasting (who knew?). From growing conditions, harvesting, and roasting to storage, they covered it all. Next questions involved a "Want a short or a long black?" Our students were able to start some practical skills and judging by the smiles on staff faces, it was grounds for celebration to finally have decent coffee “on tap” instead of the instant available in the staff room.

By Thursday, the food tech room had transformed into a bustling café complete with an order board menu and even a “drive-through” on foot, but still. Ākonga were steaming milk, stretching foam, and throwing around lines like: “Would you like soy or regular with that?” Honestly, for a moment it felt like TCAS had opened its own Starbucks franchise.

The students gave glowing reviews: Harper enjoyed the consistency of both the teaching and making the coffees, Laine said Adam had the patience of a saint and learnt a lot about coffee. Austin loved the hands-on side of things, and Tom couldn’t get enough of working the espresso machine.

A huge thanks to Ms Smith for organising this brewtiful event. Our students not only walked away with skills and NCEA credits, but also left the rest of us happily caffeinated. Win-win!