If you smell coffee on a Friday, it’s the Brew Crew passing out coffee to all the middle school teachers.  The Brew Crew in middle school started in 2018, but was shut down by the pandemic, until this past September. The Brew Crew is back in full swing for the 2022-2023 school year with Ms. Esannason at the helm. This program was originally created to give the Special Needs class vocational training, and job skills. The entire middle school Special Needs class is involved in the Brew Crew, including a few you probably know. 

There’s a process to this whole thing, and it starts at the beginning of the week. On Monday, a Google Form is sent out to all faculty in the middle school asking if they want coffee and how they want it made. These forms need to be returned in a timely manner because on Thursday, the Brew Crew goes to Stop & Shop and buys the necessary supplies. Fast forward to Friday, first period. The Brew Crew is making the coffee out of Thursday’s supplies. This is where the aforementioned vocational training comes into play. When these kids go into the real world, they will need to make money. This trains them for a job at a coffee shop, like Starbucks. Finally, during second period on Friday, they pass out coffee to teachers around the middle school. 

Ms. Esannason is a Special Education teacher who plays a key role in the Brew Crew. “The Brew Crew is important because it allows our students to learn job skills that they can use in the future. They learn how to follow recipes and orders to make items for people.” But the benefits don’t stop there. “They also get to interact in the larger school community with people they typically do not interact with on a daily basis.” This gives the kids a better chance in life, as well as an appreciated boost of energy for teachers to finish off the week. “I really look forward to my Friday Brew Crew coffee,” says Mr. Feller, a weekly customer. “Their presence puts a smile on my face. What a great program.”