GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jessica Fancourt opened a coffee shop at Grimsley High School in Greensboro. 

What You Need To Know

  • The coffee stand is run by the exceptional students at Grimsley High School

  • This is the second time Fancourt has opened a coffee strand, the first one was at Andrews High School

  • The shop will provide real-life work experience

The Whirlie Café is run by the exceptional students at Grimsley high school, and Fancourt, an adapted curriculum teacher, says the goal of the coffee stand is to provide real-life work experience that will help prepare them for employment after graduation. 

“My favorite part is just seeing how much confidence they've gained, greeting the customers,” Fancourt said. “I like seeing how excited they are when people come to the coffee shop, they just … it just brings a whole new joy for them and to watch that unfold is really cool, and it's rewarding.”

Fancourt said the whole idea of the enterprise is to give them all an opportunity to work at the coffee shop.

The money they make goes back to the enterprise and pays for things, like field trips and holiday events. 

Fancourt takes students grocery shopping every Monday to get more snacks for the coffee stand. 

Shopping gives these students real-world experience they wouldn’t get in school.

“They get to look at dates, you know, it's a hunt. They get to find the items. It's a great social activity,” Fancourt said.

Fancourt said people with disabilities love life, and she wanted to be a part of their life and try to make a difference.