Breakfast Bistro

Entering the Breakfast Bistro, one is greeted with smiles and enthusiasm from the faces of the students of the ASPIRE class at Washingtonville High School.  The scent of sugar and pastries wafting through the air entices customers as they flood into the room. Piles of baked goods are laid out for sale. The Breakfast Bistro is in full swing.

The ASPIRE program provides special education students with the opportunity of exposure to the work force and teaches them life values and lessons to use in the real world. Run by Mrs. Elena Wakeham and Mr. Anthony Finochio, the students are learning skills while also feeling loved and appreciated.

The most well renowned of all these learning experiences is certainly The Breakfast Bistro. The Bistro happens once a month on Fridays. The ASPIRE students prepare baked goods and breakfast foods that are accessible to students and staff at low costs. From the cookies, to cinnamon rolls, to breakfast sandwiches, this has been a well known tradition that countless students look forward to each month.

Elena Wakeham, a special education teacher, plays a key role in the execution of the Breakfast Bistro. Although the Bistro began before Mrs. Wakeham started at Washingtonville, she and her current students continue its legacy. 

In the Bistro, students have the responsibility of preparing, cooking, serving, selling, and cleaning. Even before The Breakfast Bistro transpires, the students have the responsibility of creating the menu, advertising, and applying for the job positions they want, making this process more arduous and enlightening than most students realize. Despite the difficulty, Mrs. Wakeham still shared that, “it is a lot of work. I know the kids love it and the school loves it.”

Anthony Finochio, another special education teacher at Washingtonville High School,  aids in the process of the Bistro. Mr. Finochio conveyed, “I love The Breakfast Bistro because it gives our kids the opportunity to work in the building and it also gives them the ability to interact with lots of different adults and students in the building that they normally wouldn't have the chance to see.” 

The ASPIRE students do so much more outside of the Bistro and the classroom. Everyday the students help with food services in the cafeteria and ease the process that gets food on students plates. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they leave the school to experience real job opportunities while maintaining their participation in both the Best Buddies and Special Olympics clubs. 

Mrs. Wakeham expressed, “We also have Best Buddies which is run by Mr Finochio. The students in this room go to prom, participate in senior week, everything that they want to do. Our students get involved a lot.”