ERMA – The students at Lower Cape May Regional High School have spoken, and they want their bagels.
The Bagel Shop at LCMR, which has been a fixture at the school, open three days a week for approximately 15 years, closed briefly to give a staff member a respite from overseeing the operation.
However, the brief closing caused a stir among students who look forward to a fresh bagel in the morning. According to one parent, some 800 students signed a petition calling for the Bagel Shop to be reopened.
Superintendent Greg Lasher said the petition, while not particularly necessary, was a testament to the students’ level of interest and excitement about the matter. He said he had students approach him personally to express their desires.
The online petition pointed out that the Bagel Shop was established as a work experience for the high school’s special needs students. The parent who alerted the Herald to the matter, who declined to be identified, said the program teaches students with special needs important life skills and makes them employable after graduation.
The online petition described the Bagel Shop as “a unique opportunity for students with special needs to gain real-world retail experience. Many students participated in working at the Bagel Shop, learning essential skills such as customer service, inventory management and cash handling.”
Lasher said the Bagel Shop began years ago, offering bagels and bottled water, and the staff member overseeing it did a great job of expanding the offerings. The petition said the shop was offering bagels, pretzels, baked goods and drinks. The current staff member, he said, just needed a break and took a couple days off from overseeing it.
“It was a temporary pause. Nobody asked her to close,” Lasher said, addressing the suggestion that he or someone else closed the shop. “There were some rumors, but this is an amazing thing for the kids, and when they understood they handled the thing very positively.”
The Bagel Shop reopened on Wednesday, March 5.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
