In the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, Venture Academy students are blending fresh cups of coffee with real-world skills as part of the adult transition program’s student cafe.
The Venture Coffee Cats officially opened to the school community on Tuesday, Oct. 1, welcoming district leadership and board members as student employees served up fresh batches of coffee, tea and pumpkin-flavored hot chocolate to customers.
From the garden of the George Key School campus, students age 18 to 22 manage every aspect of the business from crafting the shop’s name and logo to preparing drink orders and handling the operations.
Venture Academy serves young adults with special needs, offering hands-on work experiences while helping students gain essential skills for independent living.
“At Venture Academy, our Coffee Cats program showcases the incredible capabilities of our adult transition students,” said Rebecca Allan, Venture Academy coordinator. “Whether they’re taking orders, assembling cups, or handling the financial side of the business, these students do it all — building independence and confidence with every cup.”
Students plan to use the profits they make from sales to help supply and run the business as needed. As it expands, Venture Academy will bring its shop districtwide and serve up warm beverages to educators throughout the Placentia-Yorba Linda community.
The Venture Coffee Cats is open to district staff every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 9 a.m. at George Key School.
Here are the other stories we’re following this week:
- More than 1,200 Westminster High School students helped harvest watermelons from their campus’ 8-acre Giving Farm as part of a schoolwide tradition of donating produce to the OC Food Bank.
- In order to meet growing workforce demand, Garden Grove Unified opened its new skilled trades career pathway program to all students with a community event on Sept. 25.
- OCDE aims to help school leaders build their leadership skills and promote personal growth by hosting a three-day Dare to Lead: Leadership Intensive Conference starting Oct. 29.
- The Trabuco Hills High School band is set to perform in the 40th annual London New Year’s Day Parade in 2026 alongside thousands of international performance acts after receiving an official invitation from the parade’s founder.
- On Oct. 10, the Fullerton School District plans to engage families in the Community Schools Program and offer free onsite resources at its first community fair event.
- OCDE Language Services recently hosted about 100 translators and interpreters from across the region to celebrate International Translation Day and honor the work of language professionals in different fields.
- New legislation that would increase the size of the Orange County Board of Education and move its election to November will not be moving forward, as Gov. Newsom recently issued a veto on the bill.
- The OC Register reported that a federal civil rights investigation on an ethnic studies program developed by the Santa Ana Unified School District has been requested, amid allegations surrounding its curriculum content.
- The Daily Pilot reported that a former Corona del Mar High School football player was awarded a $31-million settlement after reportedly falling on the school’s field and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
- Over the past week, Gov. Newsom signed new legislation that may affect school campuses statewide in various ways, including banning food items with synthetic food dyes, requiring guidelines to address extreme weather conditions and integrating AI literacy into school curriculum.
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