“Tweet, tweet,” chirps Ana, a Poe Middle School student, as she passes a pitcher full of hot water and a hot cocoa packet to a teacher who has placed an order from the school’s new student-operated morning beverage cart service.

Ana is a member of Poe’s program for students with multiple disabilities. She says the thin, flat spout of the pitcher used to pour hot water reminds her of the beak of a bird, and another pitcher, containing hot coffee — which has a thicker and longer spout — reminds her of an elephant. Relating them to animals helps Ana remember which carafe contains each beverage while delivering to Poe Middle School staff twice a week.

Zachary Gomez, Poe’s band director, is a new coffee cart customer, and he brought a $2 bill today to pay. He passes the money to Ana’s classmate, Abi, who uses a wheelchair and sometimes a vocal device to communicate. Ana beams at him with gratitude as she checks out the money and puts it in the cashbox. Ana gives Mr. Gomez his requested black coffee.

“Here you go, it’s heavy — thank you, see ya later!” Ana says. “I like glasses,” she cheerily adds while gesturing towards Mr. Gomez’s thick black-rimmed eyeglasses. 

Roughly 15 students participate in the Poe Coffee Cart program, a new initiative started in November by multiple disabilities teacher Renee Ruggles. Interested staff members can place orders for beverages from the cart program, which delivers twice a week and requires a lot of prep work and planning to operate.

“Everything you see in my room is from hours spent working on this effort after I leave Poe:  filling out grants, creating things from scratch, picking up things I found on Buy Nothing, scanning through thrift shop shelves, combing through Dollar Tree, and checking ideas in my multiple online teaching groups,” Ruggles said. 

This cold February morning, there are five students at work on the beverage project. Sebastian is doing dishes, Ana and Abi are manning the delivery cart, while two other students assist in prep work that doubles as fine motor practice, like scooping coffee grounds to make the coffee itself or placing a “Ravens” branding stamp on the coffee sleeve. They rotate between the duties so students can experience different jobs.

”We are figuring out ways to adapt work for students with mobility challenges — who can do things with slight tweaks, like tying an apron around the back of a wheelchair, or sitting things on a lower bench so they can be easily reached,” Ruggles said. 

Katherine Augustine, Poe’s band director, is a regular customer.

“Good morning, Miss Augustine. Look, I drew on it. I did a circle on your menu,” Ana says, pointing out she had noted the order for coffee while passing Augustine a lid, cup, and stirrer for her beverage. 

Augustine pays Abi, while Ana marks her customer loyalty card — “Here you go, I did another circle for you.”

Augustine praises the program, saying it’s a “wonderful treat” to have hot coffee delivered to her twice a week while she’s teaching since teachers can’t slip out mid-lesson for a coffee break.

“I love supporting the students, seeing their smiles and how excited they are,” she said. 

Ruggles says she came up with the idea after discussions with other multiple disabilities teachers about ways to help grow functional skills in students. The program helps develop social skills, professionalism, and confidence by pushing her students to interact with staff and students they might not typically see during their years at Poe.

Ragan Wright, a multiple disabilities teacher who works with many of Ruggles’ students during the week, says she notices a difference after just four months of the coffee cart program. Students are better able to recognize different forms of currency, she says, and become more comfortable interacting with other members of the Poe community.

“When we started, they were really shy about talking to other teachers in the hallways; now they are VERY willing to go up to practically anyone and introduce themselves. A couple of my students have fist bump patterns they do with people; they didn't do that before,” Wright said. 

As a mother of an adult child with autism and another adult son who struggled with learning disabilities, Ruggles knows the importance of choosing lessons that boost confidence, life skills, and professionalism in her students.

“There is a pride when they walk around buildings with badges identifying them as coffee cart workers," she said. “They take it seriously, and other students and staff are seeing them in a positive light — it’s a big deal.”

Read more about the FCPS Strategic Plan 2023-2030: the Poe Coffee Cart program shows Goal 2 in action, prioritizing student inclusion and engagement.