Anyone who attends East Noble High School has most likely heard of the term “Round Table Café.” The abundance of emails that storm into your inbox every Monday morning, all that scream “loaded potato soup!” or “salad bar buffet!” Students rush to make reservations for their lunch hour, checking their pockets for $6.00, desperately craving those hand-made and hand-baked treats. But do they really understand what the powerful meaning behind it is?

The Round Table Café received its name in December of 2013, and it was created by Mrs. White and Mrs. Bolinger as well as another teacher who has recently retired. They decided that the special education students needed real world experience, and thus the Round Table Café was born. Students were then given the privilege of running and treating the Café as a real restaurant: that includes being on time, wearing a uniform, and always getting their work done.

Students are required to work different jobs in order for the Café to be successful. Those jobs include finding recipes, preparing and cooking the food, serving and bussing tables, washing dishes, managing money, and performing countless other jobs. In return, the students are rewarded with a weekly paycheck. Other than workplace skills, they also learn social skills as well by interacting with customers and serving them their meals.

Other than the Round Table Café, the special education department also provides service through an online tie-dye business, automobile detailing, and holding cookie sales every Wednesday during lunch. Balancing work and school every week forces the students to be responsible for themselves.

Mrs. Suzette White, a director of the Round Table Café expressed what she has learned from this program.

“With enough training, you are capable of anything,” she said.

White has been a director for many years and loves her job. She has also stated that the Round Table Café has personally shown her how cooperative and endearing the community can be.

Support the Round Table Café every Friday during lunch, and give a huge “thank you!” to the special education department for their hard work!