Do you find yourself rushing to the mall for $5 Starbucks? Well Viking Brews is here for you, Niles North’s very own cafe. The brewery serves up a variety of drinks, the best sellers being the Dunkin Drip, Hot Chocolate, and Iced Coffee along with various teas for $1 which usually includes a complimentary pastry. It is open during periods 1-3 in room 1120, the old attendance office.
The Viking Brews was created for students in the Vocational Awareness class who make up the staff. The class focuses on helping students with disabilities obtain functional life skills by experiencing different tasks, while the customers get a delicious drink. The students work in several different positions, either as a barista, cashier, or in delivery, and all the profits made go right back to the funding of the program.
“We really want Viking Brews to be a place where everyone can feel included and our kids are seen while building a community,” Special Education instructor Andrea Davis said.
The students also feel the brewery is beneficial.
“You get to meet different people around the building and it gives me practice which I love, and it gets me ready for the outside world,” sophomore Rawnaq Al Wisi said.
Niles North Special Education Instructor Erin Dailey agrees the program helps the students develop important skills.
“I love seeing it evolve and love seeing kids take a lot of pride in it and take it seriously, watching them become more adults and treat it like a job,” Dailey said.
Staff members can order drinks throughout the day for either themselves or their classroom, contact Neda Stanojevic for more information. However, students can only order periods 1-3.
The Viking Brew is a great place to go in the morning, especially since there’s only time to go to the mall during late starts which happen once a week. Instead, help an in-school community grow, and at the same time receive cheaper and better drinks.
