by Sabrina Redlingshafer
STA’s Star Parents Association, formerly known as PASTA, will open STAR Cups Cafe, a shop available to students, staff and parents, beginning Sept. 14 in Windmoor Center. The cafe, run by parent volunteers, will serve coffee, additional hot and iced beverages and light breakfast items every Friday morning from 7-7:30 a.m.
Last spring, the Student Leadership Team proposed to administration the idea of a breakfast gathering place for students. STA Administration and Parent Association picked up the idea as a fundraiser and quick food and beverage option.
The Parents Association will use profits from the cafe to fund various events this year, such as the Father-Daughter Dance and Mother-Daughter luncheon.
According to STA president Nan Bone, STAR Cups is a way to “have our students gather, have something healthy [and] grab something quick before [they] head off to advisory.”
Parent volunteers will take orders, prepare items and mark a student’s “punch card”. Students can purchase these $10 punch cards from Ms. Julia Berardi or Ms. Kelly Drummond’s office. Each card will have 20 “punches” worth 50 cents a piece. A small drink is worth one punch, medium drinks are two punches, and so on.
Students interested in buying from the cafe should plan to arrive before 7:30 a.m. in the outside commons area of Windmoor to get in line, order and receive their item in time for class.
“This way [students] don’t have to stop before school, but they must plan ahead,” Bone said.
Some students appreciate the accessibility and timeliness of the cafe.
“Now I won’t have to go to the Roasterie in the mornings and worry about being late,” junior Mattie O’Boyle said.
The tentative menu includes juice, hot or iced coffee, tea and hot chocolate during cooler weather. The Roasterie will provide the coffee and five add-in flavors: caramel, hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla, and sugar-free vanilla. Food items include bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, granola bars, baked goods and possibly seasonal items like pumpkin bread and cider.
“We don’t have the menu finalized yet and it will probably change from week to week depending on what is available and any requests we get from students,” STA Parent Leadership Chair of Star Cups Karen Miller said.
If Star Cups becomes popular, the cafe may open other times during the week.
“We’ll start with Fridays to see if the students are interested,” Bone said. “If it’s well received, we could offer it another day or time.”
Miller believes STAR Cups will have a bright future at STA.
“I think the cafe will be a great addition to the STA campus and will become a regular feature for years to come and something everyone will enjoy,” Miller said.
