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Vibes Are Good at Stag Café
The Friesen Centre was packed last Friday as the takeout window opened on another year of the ever-popular Stag Café.
The first day was chaotic as Entrepreneurship 12 students ironed out the wrinkles at the eatery that serves up a variety of snacks twice a week, but everything was running smoothly by the end. Partnerships with the Rock Band 360 (co-curricular arts and activities) and a fundraiser for the Girl Up Club added to the vibes and helped bring in more enthusiastic patrons.
“Not just the students who work in Stag Café, but also the other students who make it what it is,” said Entrepreneurship 12 teacher Ms. Mariel Solsberg. “It’s nice to see so many students new to the School come out and stay for the atmosphere.”
The two Entrepreneurship 12 classes each take a turn running the café every week: one class on Tuesday and the other on Friday. Each class has two students serving as CEOs, while the rest are divided into five teams with different responsibilities, covering everything from ordering supplies to collecting laundry. All positions are determined through a comprehensive interview process in September.
Grade 12 student Jackson F., who was one of the CEOs last year, has returned as a TA this year to provide some guidance and experience, and teaching intern Mr. Beau Harding brings his own commercial kitchen experience into the Stag kitchen. Other students from last year’s classes returned to help this year’s group over the first two nights.
“They came into the kitchen to talk about specific roles for the night,” Ms. Solsberg said. “They do that without being asked – they ask to do it.”
The café serves up a number of different burgers named after beloved staff members past and present, as well as chicken items, including both strips and the Z Bar, a longtime staple going back to the early days of the Stag Café, and sides like fries and onion rings. Certain specials come up from time to time. One favourite special from previous years – the Oreo milkshake – has finally become permanent after years of Ms. Solsberg’s urging, and her instincts proved correct.
“The response has been overwhelming already,” she said.
As the year progresses, students can expect to see more special events like the collaboration with Rock Band and Girl Up Club for opening night. Outside of regular nights, Stag students provide the food for the fine dining fundraiser that a student coordinates as their capstone project every spring, and the Board dinner on October 23.
Stag serves multiple purposes at the School, teaching students the skills they will need for running a business while providing treats for the rest of the student body.
“Entrepreneurship could go in several directions,” Ms. Solsberg commented. “We don’t have to do Stag, but it seems to be something students value, so we try to make it something they like.”
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Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 12 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
