The Neighborhood Brew- Hoover, AL

We are thankful for wonderful employees like LeAnna that work with our students participating in non-paid work instruction! 

Neighborhood Brew not only has some of the best coffee, but also contains beautiful artwork from local artists throughout the shop.

"Keeping it Real"- Oak Mountain High School

Oak Mountain High School freshman got a perspective of what it costs to live in the adult world after the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce brought its ShelbyOne Initiative program "Keeping it Real" to the school on October 26th.

The first day, students learned the difference between gross and net income and the importance of budgeting.

The second day, students visited 12 stations with their income worksheets to pay bills that corresponded with expenses. 

Volunteers managed stations (Ex: housing, groceries, clothing, insurance, education, child care, etc.) assisting the students as they "pay bills" and make "life choices" based on a random-assigned life scenario.

The program is presented by Thompson Tractor and co-sponsored by America's First Federal Credit Union, AT&T and The UPS Store Caldwell Mill Road.

Helena Hollow- Helena, AL.

Recognized as one of the top pumpkin patches in Alabama-Birmingham Parent Magazine, Helena Hollow was the work site for our Shelby County High School students. The students were able to experience all the fun, while assisting with area schools that attended. They helped with the hay ride, petting zoo, bounce houses, corn barn, unloading coolers,and bagging of the selected pumpkins.

Helena Hollow at 6026 HWY 17 Helena (205)541-8150
Helenahollow.com
Open every weekend in October 

The Neighborhood Brew - Hoover, AL

Today was our Chelsea High School student's first day at the coffee shop. LeAnna helped her hit the ground running by introducing her to a myriad of tasks involved in the day to day business operations of The Neighborhood Brew. She inventoried syrup, prepared plates/napkins, interacted with the customers when delivering beverages, poured coffee, learned how to make espresso shots, made Frappuccino’s, washed mugs, and observed LeAnna taking orders at the register. The coffee shop had a steady stream of customers throughout the Work Instruction period and definitely immersed the CHHS student into what performance skills are needed to do this job successfully.

T  The Neighborhood Brew invites you to #SipRelaxEnjoy some time with your Friends, Neighbors and Community... "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another..."- Hebrews 10:24-25 

They are located at- 

 5184 Caldwell Mill Rd., Ste 206

Hoover, AL 35244
(205) 980-7445

Highland Gourmet Scones- Pelham, AL

As the holidays approach, hundreds of bags are labeled and sacks stamped at Highland Gourmet Scones by our Oak Mountain High School student. He also got to experience a scone for the first time!
Now, in case you don't know exactly what a scone is, it's a bit like a "cookie", but it's really more of a short-bread, but not exactly. It's not quite a "tea cake", and even our British friends wouldn't call it a "biscuit". They are not too sweet, not too fruity, and very, very big. You can eat them any time you'd eat a cookie (and a lot of times you wouldn't). Some like them cold, but a few seconds in a microwave makes them seem even more heavenly to some people.

Jefferson State Community College- Hoover, AL

It's orientation time for the nursing students at Jeff State. Our Oak Mountain High School students assisted today in the office with preparing orientation packets and shredding...lots of shredding :)

Highland Gourmet Scones- Pelham, AL

Our Oak Mountain High School student placed sheets full of Pumpkin Spice labels on individual scone bags and stamped the Highland Gourmet Scones' logo onto paper bags. Today was her last day at this site and she celebrated with a Cafe Mocha scone, her favorite. Highland also offers Lemon Blueberry, Cranberry Orange, Toasted Coconut, Hazelnut Chocolate Chip, Cherry Amaretto, and Original Golden Raisin. The Holidays are coming up...check them out at http://www.highlandgourmet.com/

School House Granola- Pelham, AL

Day 3 and the students get to see the finished product. The Chelsea High School students take the sheets of granola and break them into bite size pieces. The pieces are then placed into labeled bags, weighed, and sealed ready for sell.

One of our Chelsea super heroes got to surprise the LINDA NOLEN LEARNING CENTER preschoolers. 

School House Granola- Pelham,AL

Day 2 of production where the Chelsea High School students learned how to measure the wet ingredients. The oil, honey, and vanilla are heated and added to the dry mixture.

The granola is then spread out on the parchment lined pans and prepared for baking.

School House Granola- Pelham, AL

So proud of these guys for putting together our baker's rack!

We are excited to begin production once again for School House Granola! Students from Chelsea High School and Shelby Co. High School began with the ingredient inventory process. They had to follow the recipe and  measure all dry ingredients accordingly.

The students identified different batches of product, measured and cut parchment, and printed front and back labels for the bags.

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum- Calera, AL

Chelsea High School students got to board a vintage 1940 train for a beautiful autumn ride through the scenic forests of Shelby County. They then assisted at the Pumpkin Patch, working with children as they took hayrides, bounced in the inflatable bounce house, get lost in the hay maze, and participated in other family activities! 

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum’s  collection contains pieces spanning the time period from as early as 1890 and as late as 2005. The collection contains ordinary pieces such as cabooses and flatcars along with unique pieces such as club cars, passenger coaches, a diner and a rare domed observation car. 

Smart Work Ethics Training

Workforce Employability Skills

Workforce readiness is more than just hard skills training. Employers are seeking workers who have soft skills, including attitude, attendance, character development, responsibility and choice-in other words, a strong work ethic.

The Work Instructors spent 3 days being training in Smart Work Ethics this week. Based on research in Emotional Intelligence and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, SMW provides a comprehensive and engaging curriculum for training youth and adults in workforce employability skills. From making a good first impression to knowing what interpersonal skills are required, Smart Work Ethics participants become aware of what employers look for, look at, and measure when they hire and promote employees.

Employee responsibility is often the missing vital link in the working arena. Smart Work Ethics presents the “need to know” essentials for today’s workplace, regardless of where that workplace is. The curriculum presents the universal standards for thriving in a work environment in an interactive and participatory format.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to teach this to our students in Shelby County!