A long-time dream of Matoaca High School’s Department of Special Education finally came true this spring with the opening of the Matoaca school store.



Having talked about it for a few years with other Special Education teachers, Mr. Jim Kiefer was excited to see his vision of a place where special needs students could learn and practice valuable job skills finally come into existence.



“After Mr. Cunningham lent us the money [as a sort of grant], we were able to get the school store started,” said Mr. Kiefer, one of the major proponents of the program.



As of now, the purpose of the school store is not to make a profit for the Special Education Department; rather, all excess money is being saved in order to reimburse Mr. Cunningham for his monetary investment.



“We hope to make a profit by next year so that we can have more money to use for our special needs programs,” said Mr. Kiefer.



Since the aforementioned special needs programs would directly benefit students of Matoaca’s Special Education Department, the students have extra incentive to work hard in the school store.



“I sell stuff like candy, [including] jolly ranchers, twizzlers, slim-jims, and airheads, [and I also sell] bears. I like my job,” said Special Education student Jeremy Johnson, whose contribution to the school store by selling merchandise helps him to acquire customer service skills that will be useful in the future.



Not just any Special Education student is eligible to work in the school store, so those who do should be proud of themselves.



“The kids we choose [to employ in the school store] can’t be shy; they have to be more social and willing to work with the customers,” said Mr. Kiefer.



One such sociable employee is Cedric Boyles, who is in charge of working the cash register.



“Ms. Lee’s Advanced Marketing students came to help us learn how [to use the cash register]. I also help them [the other students] sort out the candy. [I eventually hope to have a job at] Blockbuster Movie Gallery,” said Cedric, another Special Education student who benefits from the school store.



There is something for everyone at the school store, and friendly employees like Jeremy Johnson, Cedric Boyles, Crystal Stillman, and Jasmine Goode are always willing to help students buy what they need.

“Talking to the kids [is my favorite part of my job],” said Crystal Stillman. Jasmine Goode agrees; she thinks one of the best parts of her job is helping the customers.



No matter what students are looking for or what their budget, whether it is five cents or twenty dollars, the brand new Matoaca school store has plenty to offer.



Matoaca’s school store sells a variety of items, from candy (jolly ranchers, $.05 apiece; twizzlers, $.10 apiece; slim jims and airheads, $.025 apiece) to school supplies (graph paper, 8 sheets for $.025; highlighters, $.50; index cards, 15 for $.10; notebooks, $1.25 apiece; packs of paper, $.25 apiece; pencils. $.35 apiece; pens, $.25--$1 apiece; post-its, $.50--$1; white out, $1.50; folders, $.45--$.95) to school spirit items (stuffed bears, $20; graduation stuffed bears, $15; MHS bumper stickers, $2).



The school store is open during all four lunches and from 7:00—7:20 a.m. every school day. Since it is a new program, Mr. Kiefer asks that any suggestions for improvement be sent to him or any of the other Special Education teachers who are involved in the school store, including Ms. Gross and Mr. Craig.