It Happens Here: Westboro's Sugar Shack teaching students real world skills
WESTBORO - Westboro is home to a popular sweet spot that's also providing opportunities to young adults from the local school district.
At the Sugar Shack, they sell everything from fudge and throwback favorite to the hot new TikTok trends. And the employees are actually students. The students are part of the BORO program, or "Bridging Over to Right Opportunities," the adult transition program for 18 to 22-year-olds from Westboro Public Schools.
"Not only do they love coming to school but also the staff love being here," said Angela McCarthy, one of the teachers in the BORO program. "So it's a really fun environment, engaging environment."
McCarthy works with the students as they learn real life skills on the job, in a real store, instead of in a classroom.
"It's great to see that we're actually helping them find employment and we're able to have this actually be able to teach them that instead of sitting down at a classroom table and trying to do that through a textbook," said McCarthy.
The students work on functional academics, daily living skills and vocational skills while also running a public candy store.
"The goal is to teach them employability skills, teach them to be good employees and help them take that next step to maybe another community internship site and eventually, if it's what they want for themselves, paid employment," said Erin Laprad, the program's director.
The program was the brainchild of Superintendent Amber Bock, who needed special permission from the state to run a business.
For more information on the Sugar Shack, visit their website here.