Classroom 421

Within our school, there is a classroom that has been helping for years within the student body. Classroom 421 is run by Ms. Pidanick, Ms. Magaris, Ms. Walker, and Ms. O’Neil. They are the teachers who help the work-based learning students that manage the school store, the morning coffee trolley for teachers, and sometimes the Kenmore West Freestyle Store. To highlight the work that these teachers and students are doing for Kenmore West, I visited 421 in order to get a better insight on how these parts of our school are run by them!

When I talked to the teachers of 421, I asked who had started these initiatives like the school store and the coffee trolley. They weren’t sure when the school store was actually created, but most likely it was a while ago since it has been renamed from the bookstore to the school store. The coffee trolley is a recent development, as it was created to model the coffee trolley at Kenmore East. The teachers of 421 went to Kenmore East to look into their program, and then began to find out how it could work at West. They are the ones who make all the coffee in their classrooms alongside some of the students Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ms. Pidanick even comes in on those days an hour before school starts in order to have the coffee ready to deliver by 2nd period to the teachers. 

At the beginning of the year, 421 created a huge system to keep all their operations working. They always make sure that whatever is running during the day, a student and staff member are present to keep it running. For the school store there is more of a set schedule, and for the coffee trolley it is more volunteer based on who wants to help make the coffee and who wants to deliver it. Each student involved is able to gain the skills they need to better learn and grow in high school.  From there they are able to carry those skills with them for life. The work-based learning students are students who need assistance with social skills, and through this program gain the interactions and communication they need. Ms. O’Neil stated, “They take the money, they put it in the cash register, and also get the snacks. They see students they know and don’t know, and gain social skills from this.”

I also was able to interview a few students from 421, and here is some of the input they had on running the school store:

“It really opens up doors and it kind of gives us that opportunity to work outside of the classroom. Our teachers are also really nice because they give us lots of opportunities to work.”  ~Dylan

“I love helping out. I’ve worked in freestyle, the school store, and the cafeteria. The people in the cafeteria are very nice.”  ~Serenity

“I get to have new experiences. I get to know more of what I can do with work and such. I learn how to deal with the money, and with the people.”  ~Anthony

With positive feedback from the students of 421, I wondered how this program was also making a positive impact on Kenmore West as a whole. The teachers said there have been many great things that have come from both opportunities. They told me that when beginning the coffee trolley, not only did they receive assistance from Kenmore East and the district, but Tim Hortons also pitched in to help out. Last year for the school store, they collaborated with art students to create a design contest for the school store. The first and second place winners of the contest had their artwork put on merchandise and it became available for sale in the school store. Teachers of the program said that this was a great way to become more widely involved with West and also wanted to try to do something similar this year. 

When I asked if they ever wanted to expand upon the program, the teachers said that they were trying to start expanding the coffee trolley to seniors. They are still brainstorming how it would all work but said it could possibly begin within the next few months. They said that they also always appreciate feedback from students, as they want to know what students want in the school store. They constantly are adding different things to the program to create more outreach to the student population at West. 

This classroom’s program does so much for our culture as a school, at least for me. I know that it always makes me excited to be able to go to the school store to get some of my favorite snacks, and as a senior, I looked forward to hearing that the coffee trolley could be expanded to the seniors soon! I decided to ask the students how they felt about their teachers in the program, and what Dylan said really stood out to me, “They teach us and walk us through everything thoroughly. Then they'll take a step back and say, ‘Okay let's see you do it,’ and even if we mess up they let us work through it, and then they try to elaborate on what we could've done to better the skill.”  There is so much that these teachers do to run this program, and Ms. Pidanick said, “I love what we do. I love that we’re able to help these kids have those skills, but I also love that we get to connect with the rest of the school.”

Interviewing classroom 421 was such a great experience.  Make sure that you are checking out the school store during your lunch period, and if you are a teacher, make sure you order your coffee! I would like to thank classroom 421 for helping me in writing this article, and for also giving me a reason to write this article, as your impact on Kenmore West does not go unnoticed!