Fluvanna County High School has a new economic enterprise within its halls. The FCHS FlucOlympians are reopening their Fluco Cafe which provides popcorn, drinks, muffins, and more to teachers and staff.
According to Special Education teacher Amy Hill, the FlucOlympians are FCHS students in the Functional Academics or Post High classes who participate in a variety of activities and events that prepare them for life beyond high school. Some activities are purely academic, while other activities promote the skills required to live and work as an independent adult after they graduate. The FlucOlympians also participate in various Special Olympic, Unified, and many other adapted events that fit their various needs and levels, promoting athleticism and social skills.
The Fluco Cafe promotes economic development and independence while allowing the FlucOlympians a space to practice their skills. They buy the groceries, prepare the materials and ingredients, cook and bake the food, clean the dishes, prepare the drinks, serve the drinks, run the cash box and inventory, and drive the cart.
The money from the cafe will be used towards students and their events. With many FlucOlympian events and activities, students bring their own money to purchase lunch, which provides practice in reading menus, interacting with service employees, waiting in lines, and paying for food. Some students forget or don’t have the money to bring, so instead of missing out on these learning opportunities, they can use money from the Fluco Cafe profits when practicing their life skills out in the community. If the cafe raises enough money, students will also be able to use the money for budgeting grocery shopping.
The Fluco Cafe is not a new idea, but it was not available for many years. Hill said she wanted to restart the Fluco Cafe because “it’s a great way to practice many [invaluable] skills while interacting with our FCHS community.” As an homage to the original Fluco Cafe, FlucOlympians wear shirts from the previous cafe, bringing a touch of nostalgia to any teacher who remembers it.
The Fluco Cafe is now open Tuesday through Friday, with deliveries made between 11:30 a.m. and noon. The cafe sells popcorn, coffee, lemonade, tea, and muffins, all made fresh by the FlucOlympians. Popcorn and coffee are made daily, while lemonade, tea, and muffins are made weekly or as needed.
All items are $2 and must be ordered by 10:00 a.m. Payments must be made in cash; if cash is not available, then the order will not be provided. Tips are appreciated but not required. As a reminder, the Fluco Cafe is only open to teachers and faculty members. If interested in ordering from the cafe, please fill out this Google Form.
