BETHLEHEM — The high school’s Paper Pastries card shop has provided opportunities to special needs students by equipping them with lifelong skills. Teacher Paula DiBiase said it’s also received support from the local community.
“Unfortunately, with work skills needed today, it’s very hard to find things that our students [with special needs] can do,” DiBiase said. “The goal for them is to be independent and some of them can do things independently when you show them, like performing the same tasks.”
About
Paper Pastries, which celebrates its one-year anniversary on March 15, is the high school’s first card shop. It sells colorful greeting cards with positive messages for many occasions like birthdays, graduation, the new year and the holiday season. It is located in room A108, although it sometimes does business at a temporary location in the hallways. It has even appeared at the Delmar Farmers Market.
All the shop’s envelopes, stamps and stamp pads were donated from the school and local community, DiBiase added. I Love Books, a Delmar store near the Four Corners, donated display racks and The Paper Mill, from Delaware Plaza, donated envelopes.
“It’s not a steady stream of business because kids these days don’t buy cards much because everybody sends messages with their phones,” she said. “But on Valentine’s Day, we did great and then there’s Mother’s Day and the holidays, too. Also, we found that most of our business comes from adults in the building overall.” She added that all money made from purchases at Paper Pastries stays within the business to help it grow and buy more materials.
“It’s great to see these kids work together and learn good life skills together,” DeCancio said. “The BOU and I wanted to support them with the bulk purchase, and it’s one of the many interesting things being done at the school.”
Cindy Ferrari, BOU’s president, said, “I’m just thrilled that David thought of that and it’s such a great connection from our community group to the high school. David bought the cards with our [BOU] money and it’s a nice and really positive way to connect our non-profit community.”
Inspiration
The cafe opened in early 2016 and has since expanded to South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland; it employs around 120 people with special needs. “[Wright] started Bitty and Beau’s for her children because when they get older, she wants to have a place for them to work, so all employees at Bitty and Beau’s have special needs and have job coaches there to help them,” said DiBiase. “Each summer, my family and I vacation at North Carolina and three years ago, I visited [Bitty and Beau’s] in Wilmington and I was so inspired.”
She also said there is a business called Puzzles Bakery and Cafe, located on 515 State Street in Schenectady, that employs adults with developmental disabilities. Owned by Sara Mae Hickey, DiBiase said Hickey’s mother used to work at Bethlehem Central as a physical therapist and her sister has autism.
This caused DiBiase and Deierlein to pitch the idea for a similar business to Principal David Doemel Jr., at the high school. “We said what we wanted to do and if we could set up shop somewhere. And everybody has been so, so, so supportive of it,” DiBiase said. This led to a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March 2019, attended by students and faculty including Doemel, Superintendent Jody Monroe and Director of Special Education and Student Services Kathleen Johnston.
Reflection
She said she would also like to collaborate with some general education students, especially those with art or graphic design skills, to help make more cards with original designs.
DiBiase added that she continues to enjoy working with the LEAD students at Paper Pastries. “The best thing that can happen for these kids is for people to just think outside the box,” she concluded. “They’re the most loyal and honest employees. Once they learn something, it’s great.”
Photos by Diego Cagara / Spotlight News