Dragon Cafe (temporarily closed)

Managing and Operating a School-Based Business

Iliahi Dragon Café Program (Closed until further notice.)

Iliahi Elementary School

2035 California Ave.

Wahiawa, HI 96786

Instructors

Tom Yamamoto and Normann Olegario (Iliahi Elementary School)

Prerequisites

There are no related business classes needed as prerequisites for this program. However, as this is a course that offers a scholarship based on successful completion, the prerequisites are that the student must be a senior, and must apply, and if accepted, enroll at a university, junior or community college, or a specialized institute after graduation.

Description

The Iliahi Dragon Café Program is a high school credited course designed to provide Leilehua High School seniors an opportunity to learn and apply business and marketing skills while volunteering in an actual school-based business. Each student is required to volunteer at the Iliahi Dragon Café at Iliahi Elementary School a minimum of 3 days a week (1 hour and 45 minutes each day) for the entire school year and complete a promotional campaign. Volunteer hours are from 6:15 am to 8:00 am every school day except on Iliahi Elementary School non-instructional days (teacher work days, waiver days, and professional development days).

Students will receive 1 elective credit and a scholarship in their name to be used for college tuition or other educational expenses.

Learning Objectives (Secondary)

Embedded in the specific learning objectives of the program are the General Learner Outcomes.  Modified by Iliahi Dragon Café volunteers. (2022-2023 Leilehua High School Seniors and Iliahi Student Council)

Social Studies Standard 8: Economics: Resources, Markets, and Government: Understand economic concepts and the characteristics of various economic systems

Topic: Role and Function of Markets

Benchmark: SS.11.8.1: Describe how the determinants of demand (i.e., income, substitutes, complements, number of buyers, tastes, expectations) affect the price and availability of goods and services

Rigor and Relevance: (Quadrant D – Adaptation) Design and implement a promotional campaign to positively affect the sales for a given period of time.

Taxonomic Knowledge: Evaluation

Application Model: Apply to real-world unpredictable situations.

Career and Technical Education Standard 2: Career Planning: Explore and understand educational and career options in order to develop and implement personal, educational and career goals.

Benchmark: CTE.9-12.2.3: Apply appropriate and safe behaviors and practices in the school, community, and workplace.

Benchmark: CTE.9-12.2.6: Gather and prepare documents related to job-seeking.

Benchmark: CTE.9-12.2.7: Prepare for the job interview process.

Rigor and Relevance: (Quadrant B – Application) Participate in the application and interviewing process of a real job.

Taxonomic Knowledge: Application

Application Model: Apply to real-world unpredictable situations

Textbook

Although there is no text for this course, resource materials will derive from the following:

Introduction to Business; Ristau, Eggland, Dlabay, Burrow & Daughtry, 1997.

SCANS 2000: Developing a Marketing Plan, 1st Edition; Arnold Packer, John Hopkins University, 2001.

Students are expected to work in groups to develop and complete at least one promotional campaign to promote sales throughout the volunteering period at the café.

Topics of Study

• Safety in the Workplace

• Work Ethics/Quality and Their Effect on Sales

• Coffee Terms

• Starting a Business

• Management and Operations

• Promotional Campaign

Goals

Our overall aim is to establish and nurture a strong relationship among all participants including the Iliahi and Leilehua students, teachers, and parents through a rigorous standardize curriculum. The cafe will provide an opportunity for students to develop and apply their own criteria of expectations based on the state GLOs while operating and managing the business. 

As volunteers of the café, the Leilehua seniors will be “giving back” to an elementary school, and will also be demonstrating an example of a direct and continuing relationship occurring between the elementary and high school. Ultimately, this bridge will support a continuum of learning that will transfer throughout K-12.

Course Goals

Specific learning goals for each student are to…

• operate and manage a school-based business.

• develop a promotional campaign using marketing and managing skills.

• apply technological skills when completing marketing plan.

• understand and apply economic factors when establishing accurate sales projections.

• apply appropriate and safe behavior in the workplace.

• apply effective communication skills with customers and co-volunteers.

Process

The Iliahi Dragon Café Program is advertised as a course at Leilehua High School for incoming seniors at the second semester of the previous year. The applicants are interviewed by the Iliahi Student Council Officers in early March. Once accepted, the high school students are enrolled in the course/program and receive training prior to the start of the program and “on the job” the following year. Leilehua students operate the café by setting up, selling and serving coffee, and cleaning up. Iliahi students manage the café by monitoring attendance, tallying sales, and balancing the income and expenses on a daily basis.

Management and Operations

Personnel

The Iliahi Student Council, consisting of grades 4 and 5 officers and representatives, oversee the entire operation of the café. The president and vice president oversee day-to-day operations by monitoring the performance and work ethics of the student volunteers, ensuring customer satisfaction by talking to customers, and making sure that the money is counted and submitted to the office. The recording secretary creates agendas for any necessary meetings. The corresponding secretary writes letters and e-mails of appreciation and gratitude to our customers and participants. The treasurer collects and counts the daily revenue, balances the account, and writes reimbursements using official “Local School” forms. Each Iliahi Student Council representative volunteers once a month in the café to assist the high school volunteers.

Daily responsibilities for the high school volunteers include receiving and filling orders, serving, transporting and delivering coffee (need Hawaii State Driver’s License), and stocking, operating, and cleaning the equipment. 

Finally, one major requirement for the high school volunteer is that they each make a commitment to apply at a university, junior or community college, or specialized trade school. 

Additional Information

Absences/Tardy Policy

Excused Absence/Tardy: Students are responsible to submit official documentation of their absence(s).

Unexcused Absence/Tardy: Unexcused absences and tardies will be accounted for and calculated to affect students’ grades.

Grading Policy

Students will be graded on the following criteria:

1. Attendance – 30% (Based on a total of 87 volunteering days)

2. Work Quality – 30% (Based on student-created GLOs)

3. Two promotional campaign individual/group projects, one per semester – 20% each (Based on rubric)

   • A guideline for the culminating group project will be given specifying the criteria of content and/or performance.

   • Points will be given to each student based on the degree of individual contribution to group project.

   • Points will be given to each student based on the quality of individual work in the group project.

All grading will be based on the standard grading scale listed below.

A 90 – 100%

B 80 – 89%

C 70 – 79%

D 60 – 69%

F 59% and below

Learning Objectives (Elementary)

Mathematics Standard 1: Number and Operations: Students understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems.

Benchmark: MA.5.1.2: Uses equivalent forms of whole numbers, fractions, ratios, decimals, and percents to solve problems.

Rigor and Relevance: (Quadrant B - Application:) As students complete daily balance sheets, they record the revenue made by specific products and represent the data in dollar amounts and percentages.

Taxonomic Knowledge: Application

Application Model: Apply to real-world predictable situations.

Mathematics Standard 4: Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability: Students understand and apply basic notions of chance and probability.

Benchmark: MA.5.14.1 Use fractions, decimals, and percents to indicate the probability of events.

Rigor and Relevance: (Quadrant D - Adaptation:) Upon analyzing current data presented in daily balance sheets and other variables, students will project estimated revenues and expenses for upcoming months.

Taxonomic Knowledge: Evaluation

Application Model: Apply to real-world unpredictable situations.

Career and Technical Education Standard 2: Career Planning: Explore and understand educational and career options in order to develop and implement personal, educational and career goals.

Benchmark: CTE.5.2.1: Use successful workplace and ethical behaviors.

Rigor and Relevance: (Quadrant B – Application) When managing the café, students will apply positive behavior and general learner outcomes.

Taxonomic Knowledge: Application

Application Model: Apply to real-world unpredictable situations