Arnall Middle schoolers present ‘Candy Cane Cafe’ to BOE | News

Arnall Middle School Principal Patrick Sullivan introduced the exceptional students from Ms. McDonnell’s class.

Last December, the students invited teachers and community members to visit their cafe, where they practiced social skills and calculated dining costs with pretend money to pay for treats from their cafe. Students acted as servers and chefs and took their guests’ orders and payments with iPads.

Barrett Gentry said, “In Ms. McDonnell’s class, we are asked to apply ourselves each day by doing work, learning new skills, being kind every day, and loving ourselves and our friends every day.”

Jackson Downs said his favorite part of the class is making friends, learning new skills and feeling happy.

Chloe Hawthorne said the Candy Cane Cafe taught her how to speak kindly to people and was good practice for when she is older and gets a job, something she said might be hard because she will have to learn and try new things. After practicing in the Cafe, she felt more confident. “If I get a job when I’m older, I will already know what to do,” she said.

Wyatt Turman said he learned a lot about how to interact with others, something being shy makes difficult. “I learned what to do with my mouth and voice when I’m working,” he said. Lessons like learning to speak clearly and calmly, without yelling, as well as counting money, went a long way with Turman.

Ian Martin was excited by his STEM skills. “My…