The Pony Brew is a coffee shop located in B116 and is run by special education students. It is part of a class called Work Experience taught by special education teachers Jon Hinzman and Jon Matel. The class and Pony Brew together build social skills and experience in a work setting.

The Pony Brew develops essential transition skills for students who are more inspired by joining the workforce than going to college. They do this by encouraging interpersonal communication and teamwork amongst its workers, as well as with customers and bosses.

Hinzman stated that the goal is to “have a smile on our face while developing transition skills and learning how to work with other people.”

In a time where some students are attending college less, many teachers like Matel find it useful to have classes directly focused on building skills for the workforce. He and many others commonly question the extent to which many high school curriculums will help people not attending a University.

Senior Kaia Goldstrand said she thinks it is great that the school is getting people ready for life after high school. She believes it is something that should continue to be put into everyday school life.

The day to day school life of a student who works at Pony Brew consists of working with Hinzman and Matel during hours one, two, or three. The five minutes between periods is where the most customers come in. Once the crowd slows, the team begins tackling other jobs.

Matel described a few tasks students tend to take on, “once we get caught up with customers, they handle tasks like refilling the water in the machines, counting the money and recycling the K cups.”

The Pony Brew is very optimistic about the growth and success they have seen, as well as the future success of their class. They have converted a small coffee shop to a program that provides thorough work experience with rich coffee and delicious pastries for the whole school.

“When I came, Pony Brew was a small mobile cart in the commons area,” Hinzman explained. “When COVID hit, it got shut down so we had to think differently about how to go about it, so we started a delivery service.”

The Pony Brew has big plans for the coming years. Plans not only to grow in members, but the opportunities they give their students as well. Currently they only operate inside of the school, but Matel plans to extend their reach to surrounding businesses to get students accustomed to job sites as well.

Matel highlighted the value of providing students with experience outside the classroom as well. He believes there is a great difference between a boss and a teacher.

The Pony Brew is located in the art wing, and sells coffee and pastries during hours one through three. All the profits go directly back to the school fund. Many of the students working there have seen immeasurable progress and are looking forward to working in the coming summer.