On March 17, 2026, our Board of Education had the pleasure of hearing from Tawni Shupp and her students as they presented their CAPS Coffee program. It was a wonderful opportunity for our Board and community to see firsthand the meaningful learning experiences taking place for students in Orrville City Schools.
As students explained during their presentation, CAPS Coffee is much more than a student coffee cart. It is a hands-on program that helps students build important professional, academic, and vocational skills through real-world experience. Their presentation highlighted how running the coffee cart allows students to practice customer service, responsibility, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, workplace behavior, and communication in an authentic setting.
Students also shared how CAPS Coffee strengthens important academic skills such as counting money, making change, reading orders, following recipes, and speaking politely and clearly with others. Just as importantly, the program helps students grow in confidence, independence, and pride in their work.
What made tonight’s presentation especially meaningful was hearing directly from the students themselves. Their pride, enthusiasm, and confidence were evident as they described their roles and the many ways they are learning through this experience. It was clear that CAPS Coffee is providing students with a purposeful opportunity to apply their skills, work together, and experience success.
“I am very proud of Mrs. Shupp and her students for sharing their work with our Board of Education,” said Superintendent Dr. David Toth. “This presentation was a wonderful example of what happens when students are given authentic opportunities to learn, grow, and apply important life and workplace skills in a meaningful way.”
I want to sincerely thank Mrs. Tawni Shupp for her leadership, care, and dedication in creating this opportunity for students. I also want to commend each of the students who presented this evening. They did an outstanding job representing themselves, their program, and Orrville City Schools.
The presentation was a special reminder that some of the most powerful learning happens when students are given the chance to do meaningful work, serve others, and take pride in what they accomplish. We are very proud of Mrs. Shupp and her students for sharing their work, and Red Rider Pride was certainly on display this evening.