Some students at a York County high school will now have a special "perk" when they walk into the building.
Central York High School's first student-run coffee shop is now open for business. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for "The Panther Perk" which can be found in the high school's atrium.
The Panther Perk offers different types of coffee and pastries while giving students the opportunity to build their business skills.
"I think it's more valuable than memorizing material from a book and putting it on paper for a couple weeks," The Panther Perk CEO and Central York High School Senior Matthew Houck said. "We're learning how to interact with other business people, hire others, deal with employees sometimes; every aspect of business we`re learning first-hand as high schoolers."
From funding to furniture-- students had a hand in most of the business's planning.
The business is also receiving guidance from local coffee shop operator Dirk Krebs of K&K Coffee. Krebs will continue to offer both the product and business expertise for the shop while advising students throughout each step of the business process.
The York County Alliance for learning also presented a thousand dollar check to two educators in the district -- Dianna Guise and Jeffrey Hamme-- for projects related to YCAL's mission of connecting educators and employers to engage students in career exploration and development.