This term, our Year 8 students have been immersed in the world of coffee as part of their Term 3 Occupations class. Their learning will culminate next week with a Barista Certification from our friends at Bean Bar, after which they will officially take ownership of the Coffee Corner from Term 4 onwards.

The students have shown great initiative and enthusiasm as they learned how to prepare a range of coffees and undertook a research project on the subject.

Throughout the term, students explored the history of coffee — both as a local and global commodity, and as a luxury that we in Australia are fortunate to enjoy (especially when made well!). A key takeaway was discovering that coffee in Australia has an estimated market value of around $3.35 billion per year. This highlighted the relevance of their new skills, as learning the art of coffee preparation is not only highly valued in our economy, but also a practical life skill they can take into part-time work.

It has been a joy to see our Year 8s progress in real time and share their excitement about taking on Coffee Corner every Thursday morning. Making great coffee is truly a blend of science and art, requiring patience, calmness and a dedication to craft — qualities we hope they will continue to apply well beyond school.