School Grounds is run by juniors and seniors who register for the half-credit elective. Photos: Chris Emeott
White Bear Lake Area High School launches a student-run coffee shop.
If a bookstore can house a coffee shop, why can’t a high school do the same? That’s not exactly the conversation a group of White Bear Lake Area High School (WBLAHS) students had with their media specialist, Lindsay Lamwers, back in 2018, but it was similar. Prophetically similar.
The students pitched the plan to the administration, raised funds and came up with recipes. “[The students] did their homework,” Lamwers says.
Once approved, students at South Campus solicited and voted on names and logos for the coffee shop. School Grounds beat out options like Bearibou, Bears Den, Bearly Awake and Books ’N Beans, and opened in the South Campus concession stand in spring 2020. In 2024, it moved to a dedicated space in the new unified high school building.
School Grounds is a half-credit elective open to juniors and seniors interested in learning about the food service industry. Students work directly with school staff and local businesses, gaining real-world experience in the process.
“They register for it, just like any class,” says Christina Freeman, School Grounds advisor and family and consumer sciences teacher. “… Our goal is to have at least four kids each hour of the [six period] day.” Lunchtime is the exception, with seven students rotating shifts through the rush. “During lunch, there’s always a line,” Freeman says.
A big day at School Grounds generates $1,000 in sales. An average day falls in the $400–$600 range. Low price points (a latte is $2.50) limit profits, which go right back into keeping the shop stocked.
Beverages are sold in 12-ounce sizes or smaller. “Everything they sell has to meet USDA Smart Snack Standards,” says Bridget Lehn, the district’s nutrition director. “There are limits on calories and sugar.”
James, one of the students working at School Grounds, prepares a beverage.
While Lilly Seifried works at the coffee shop, she’s new to coffee. “My friends were always going to coffee shops, and I finally gave in,” she says.
Lilly didn’t know how to make a mocha when she started working at School Grounds during the first semester of her senior year. Now, she’s suggesting new offerings. “It’s a good place to learn about customer service,” Lilly says. “I like people, and I like conversation.”
Aside from classic coffee offerings, School Grounds’ top sellers are refreshers—drinks made by combining juice concentrate, water, lemonade and unique flavors like Strawberry Açaí and Elderberry Dragon Fruit. “Our first-semester students figured out what they wanted to offer. Our second-semester students [will] roll with the basics that we came up with,” Freeman says. The seasonal specials are all dreamed up by inventive students, and new offerings are on the horizon, including smoothies and ready-to-bake scones.
When the shop is slow, students work on assignments related to food service, recipes, sanitation and work expectations. In the first semester, 23 students earned their ServSafe Certification.
“We are checked by the health department … we’re held to the same standards as any business,” Freeman says. “It’s the most real experience you can give a kid for how it would be to work in any food service.”
Freeman says her favorite part of School Grounds is seeing students make it their own. “They started a Barista Recommendations with their favorite drinks,” Freeman says. “They had a poster of every barista for every hour and what drinks they’d recommend.” First-semester students also started a Customer of the Month initiative.
“They really took the space and made it their own, and I think that’s just so sweet and special,” Freeman says.
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