BY JAYDEN JUNAID AND SALOME KHORAVA
Craving a sweet treat for yourself or a friend this Valentine’s Day? Place your orders with the Lollipop Shop in room 133 to have your order delivered on Valentine’s Day.
The lollipop shop doesn’t just sell chocolate lollipops; they offer a plethora of other items as well, including chocolate covered Oreos, pretzels, and Rice Krispy Treats. “The chocolate lollipops are so good,” said freshman Jasmine Zammar. “My favorite thing would be the chocolate covered Oreos; they are heaven sent.”
Students in the Transition Planning program make every item by hand, and each students gets to play a role they are particularly responsible for. Corey Seper stated, “I get to have work experience and make pretzels Oreos and lollipops.”
Buying from the lollipop shop not only benefits you, but the organization also provides great learning opportunities. “The idea was to create a for-profit business that would teach the students skills that could help them gain employment,” explained teacher Katherine Crain.
The process starts with melting the chocolate down in 30 second intervals so it doesn’t burn. Tyler Fescoe said, “My role in making Choclate lollipops is melting the chocolate and pouring the chocolate into the molds.”
Then, the chocolate is poured into the mold and frozen to make them solid. “In this shop, I’m always as cool as the freezer when pouring chocolate for our Oreos,” explained Abian Carrasquillo.
After they are hard, they are packaged and sold, a great way to give students retail experience. Frank Lorence said, “I am great at selling lollipops.”
Students have even gotten involved in promoting the venture, including making announcement over the loudspeaker. Angelica Zapantis, who has done a great job on the intercom every morning, said, “I feel confident and clear when making the announcements for the lollipop shop.”
The money raised from these ventures provides special opportunities for students in the Transition Planning program. “All the money goes to the student community-based instruction trips for the special education students to go out in the community to learn skills.” explained Katherine Crain. Students gain hands-on experiences at the mall, post office, train station, and library.
The employees of the lollipop shop are proud of their hard work and their success. Sameer Hashimi said, “We work hard and the whole school supports us.”
You can still place orders all day on Monday in room 133.
Posted on 2/10/23
Photos by Tim O’Neill
Knight Life 