Returning Susky students may have noticed that the furniture in the gym lobby has received a major upgrade.

The old, stained, fabric-covered couches have been replaced by luxe vinyl sofas, wide chairs, and cafe-style tables that emit a feeling of sophisticated comfort and productivity.

In some ways, without knowing it, the Warrior student body made the purchase.

The furniture was paid for by the Susky Station, the school’s school store/cafe providing snacks to hungry students throughout the day. The station is run by both business classes and the life skills program, and it offers benefits to each.

“We were looking for a way to get life skills students involved in the student body,” said special education teacher Tom Laure. “This was a good way to get them interacting in a real-world situation.”

The ultimate goal of the project was never to make money. Kellin McCullough, a business education teacher, said that they thought they’d make $1000, if that.

“We knew that we wanted to put whatever money we made back into the school somehow,” she said.

So when the stand actually ended up making over $7000 in one school year, McCullough’s entrepreneurship class decided where the money should go.

“Getting new furniture was Dr. Mollin’s idea, but it was the entrepreneurship class that made the ultimate decision,” she said.

The Susky station is a win-win situation for all involved, say McCullough and Laure. Laure’s students get to learn and grow, and the student body has the chance to learn to appreciate differences. 

McCullough’s business students get a taste of what it’s like to keep inventory, manage a store-like setting, and how to effectively sell a product.

Now, students can enjoy delicious snacks on brand new furniture. The pieces offer a comfortable place for students to relax and do work, especially seniors in National Honor Society who are enrolled in classes with flexible scheduling. In all, say McCullough and Laure, the system helps bring Susquehannock into the 21st century.