Student-run after-school program serves up snacks for a good cause

When the bell rings at 2:05 p.m., Angie Fujimoto’s elementary special education class springs into action to greet a flurry of customers. Their after-school Snack Shack is open for business.

Started as a project-based learning activity for Fujimoto’s fully self-contained (FSC) special education class, Snack Shack sells a variety of food and beverages to students after school, with proceeds benefiting Waipahu Elementary.

“Our school is really good about including our students into all of their extracurricular activities, so we wanted to be able to give back to the school that always takes care of us,” Fujimoto said.

Inspired by Waipahu High School’s Cane Café, a coffee and food delivery service run by students with special needs, and a similar program at Waipahu Intermediate, Snack Shack’s first customer base was teachers.

“We started with the teachers, where once a month we ordered from a local eatery and had the food delivered to our school, and the students delivered orders to the teachers,” Fujimoto added.

Snack Shack then started selling snacks out of the classroom during the day to help teachers who forgot their lunch or wanted a cup of coffee. But it wasn’t long until her students wanted to be able to make their own purchases.

“This year, our class asked, ‘How come students can’t order from Snack Shack?’ So we figured out a way to do it,” Fujimoto said.

To develop a menu for the student version of Snack Shack, Fujimoto’s students looked at nutrition guidelines on the Hawaii State Department of Education’s website and analyzed calories, sugar, fat, and sodium of potential snacks. Based on their findings, the Snack Shack is now stocked with items like string cheese, Pringles, Go-Gurt, popsicles, and Skinny Pop popcorn for sale.

The Snack Shack runs everyday after school except Wednesday, and with oversight from Fujimoto, her students are responsible for running the sale from start to finish. Each student has a role based on their strengths, Fujimoto said.

They take inventory, set up the snack stand in front of the classroom, tally up sales, take cash and make change. The next day, they count the cash box, figure out the profits, and make daily deposits at the office.

In addition to running the sale, Fujimoto helps her students to see the entire endeavor like a real business, teaching valuable entrepreneurial skills along the way like marketing, inventory, and financials.

“Kelly, who’s in charge of marketing, does all the posters (to advertise). Will is in charge of the financial part where he has to organize the money counted and get the till ready. Zayn is like our Chief Operating Officer, because he kind of likes to help everyone and knows what to do.”

The other students serve as distributors who do the daily runs to fulfill teacher orders, and the analysts create a monthly sales graph to see what’s selling and what’s not.

Fujimoto provided the capital needed to start the project, and due to its success, the Snack Shack is now self-sustaining and even enjoys small profits, which all go back to benefit the school. The students choose beneficiaries among school staff, interview them to see what they might need, and hand-deliver the products.

“Their first give back last year was for the custodians, so we had masks, soap, paper towels, that kind of thing,” Fujimoto said. “This year, the first giveback we did was for our STEM teacher. They love their STEM teacher, and they wanted to help her get books, some robotic supplies, and straws for their projects.”

After delivering the supplies, the students write their own scripts and star in a video to thank their beneficiaries for all they’re doing for the school. In turn, the students have become, as Fujimoto calls it, “like local celebrities.”

Fujimoto explained, “People will stop my students along the way and say, ‘I saw the video, it’s so cool! You guys did so well.’ It really boosts morale, and because of that, the students are more confident.”

Fujimoto, who’s been at the school for 17 years, says the project has reignited her love for what she does.

“I’ve seen how much they can grow in an FSC setting, and knowing that they have control, I think that growth is exponential,” she said.

“It makes me really happy and proud of the students, all that they’re doing,” Fujimoto continued. “They’re more willing to participate in our classroom activities and join in with their host classes because usually when they go into the host classes, they’re a little shy, a little timid, but now they’re a little more willing to go and make friends and talk stories, and it’s kind of nice to see.”

A special thanks to everyone at Waipahu Elementary who has a hand in making Snack Shack a reality:

Teacher: Angie Fujimoto

Paraprofessional Tutors: Melinda Fernando, Kellyn Mateo, Anabelle Pagurigan, Clarissa Rivera, Analiza Velasco

Educational Assistants: Maia Cochard, Lula Pousoo