Students and staff of Cafe 118 are happy to be back and settling into our new location. We re-opened the popular mission driven cafe in the SAHS Library on September 6.
SAHS students and staff were thrilled to welcome Cafe 118 back during our soft opening on September 6. Our staff was excited to see old customers, meet some new ones, and provide a little respite from the toils of high school.
Senior Kasandra Canonico says, “Working at Cafe 118 is great. It’s fun. I feel like I’m really part of the SAHS experience”. Logan Bauer, senior, says, “I love working at Cafe 118, because helping all the kids is so much fun. I really think it is an amazing experience to be a part of.”
Mrs. Catlyn DiPasquale, librarian, has created a space in the library that exactly matched our vision when we started Cafe 118. Students have an opportunity to sit with a drink or treat during study halls and hang out with friends on the cafe side of the library. Mrs. DiPasquale stocked the area with fun brain breaks for the students such as diamond art and jigsaw puzzles. Mrs. DiPasquale says, “I always dreamed of the library being a place to accommodate the many needs of SAHS students. I want all students to feel welcome in their space. We have enough room to accommodate both academic study and much needed relaxation and peer connection.”
Cafe 118 celebrated our One Year Anniversary on Friday, September 20 with an exciting giveaway. Aubrey Blank, sophomore, and Miss Demchak, SAHS social worker, were the lucky winners of FREE drinks for the 24-25 school year!
“We feel strongly that Cafe 118 is an inclusive experience for both the students who work here as well as the students who are our customers,” says Mrs. Christin Pintar, speech-language pathologist. We try to develop that sense of community by engaging students with monthly giveaway contests to win fun prizes. Our community is not only growing in person but online too. Cafe 118 has around 530 Instagram followers with more joining every day.
Over the past year, students and staff of Cafe 118 enjoyed many new experiences. Logan Bauer, senior, and Brady McGuire, class of 2024, were Barista Buddies and members of the Titan Varsity Baseball Team. They invited our staff to watch a home game, and we had a blast cheering for our Titans. Each Cafe 118 staff member received a baseball signed by the Titan players. We were also able to take Cafe 118 staff on an end of year field trip to PNC Park for a tour.
Other exciting opportunities for Cafe 118 included providing the drinks and treats for Coffee & Conversation with Dr. O’Black at Marzolf Primary and SAHS. Cafe 118 also provided refreshments for staff incentives at Marzolf Primary and Reserve Primary. These community based trips are a great way for staff members to improve communication skills and spread the mission of Cafe 118.
Cafe 118 staff members also learned how to screen print. We worked with SAHS technology teacher, Mr. Fisher, to screen print our own uniform shirts. Mr. Fisher also helped us make reusable cups to give to our customers.
Mrs. Gina Chmielewski, life skills teacher says, “We always felt that Cafe 118 would be a great addition to SAHS but couldn’t have imagined just how much the students would enjoy having this available to them. We felt strongly about contributing back to student organizations to show our appreciation to the student body.” Cafe 118 donated to 28 organizations and activities that directly benefited SAHS students.
BENEFICIARIES OF CAFÉ 118
Class of 2027 Spring 2024 Musical
Class of 2026 Latin Honor Society
Class of 2028 Art Honor Society
Class of 2029 SAHS Preschool
Grief Group Polar Plunge
Sustainability Club Library Club
Holiday Help Group Super Fun Games Club
Angel Tree Shalerpalooza
Steam Competition Memory Project
Unified Bocce Team Dalton Bacco Living the Dream Scholarship
Hall of Fame Scott Alexander Scholarship
Light Initiative Backpack Initiative
History of the Holocaust Baseball Boosters
Light Scholarship Golf Boosters
Softball Boosters SAEF Scholarship in Honor of Melissa Ravas
Follow us on instagram @cafe_118_sasd for updates on hours, giveaways, menu, and more!
