By Hailey Krantz
![Students that participate in the work experience program have the chance to acquire valuable skills and habits. (Photo by Hailey Krantz)](http://www.coronadocougars.net/wp-content/uploads/cafeteria1-300x176.jpg)
Everyday the cafeteria is full of student workers working alongside full-time cafeteria employees.
The student workers are enrolled in an elective called School Cafeteria Work Experience. It can be taken beginning sophomore year and can be repeated once for credit. One of the unique things about this class is that along with gaining an elective credit, the student gets work experience and even a paycheck.
“I chose this elective, because it goes down as work experience for a resume and we get paid every two weeks,” Walker Wright, junior, said.
Students in this class can either work as a cashier or in the kitchen, putting the food together and then serving it to students. They work through both lunches with their own lunch break in between.
“We have a clock-in/clock-out machine that we use. We clock in when we get there, clock out for lunch, then clock back in for second lunch,” Wright said.
One of the most difficult parts of the job is when students think they have money in their accounts, but don’t, and have to give their lunch back to the cafeteria. The student cafeteria workers also work until the end of lunch helping refill carts with all the things they need.
“Once my line closes, I take a cart of condiments, napkins, and utensils around to three stations in the cafeteria,” Wright said.
This class offers real life experience as students are treated as employees,rather than students, and have a supervisor as their employer.
“I would take this class because I would get to see people in my classes and get to meet new people. It’s also a great skill to have,” Calyx Calvert, sophomore, said.