Coffee affects students and teachers’ lives all over the world. To celebrate its importance, Cappuccino Day is celebrated on November 8. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 14.8% of all American high school students drink coffee on a daily basis. Nathan Seketa, senior who runs the Carmel Cafe, said he has seen the interest that CHS students have with coffee in his daily interactions with them.

“Each day, we see over one hundred customers come through the cafe,” he said. “Students can benefit from the cafe, as it is convenient to kickstart their day if they come in more drowsy than usual.”

According to Seketa, he believes that managing the cafe has given him a new perspective on coffee and how it can have an big impact on students.

He said via email, “Ironic as it is, I actually don’t drink coffee. I have put together coffee tastings to make sure our product is the highest quality since my judgement of coffee provides no help. I do love the smell that makes its way through the cafe after it’s brewed each morning, though.”

Jill Noel, adult supervisor for the Carmel Cafe, has also seen the influence that coffee has had on students.

“I think there are (more positive impacts) of coffee (than negative),” she said. “From a social standpoint, I see students that walk into (the cafe to) buy merchandise and they see their friend getting a frappuccino and they’ll say ‘oh I want that too.’”

Junior cafe worker Luciana Marquez agreed with Noel and said coffee has had many positive impacts on her own life.

She said, “Usually, I drink coffee at night. It usually relaxes me. Not because it makes me energetic or anything but because it helps when I do homework.”

Noel said that in general she doesn’t think coffee makes students too energetic and mainly serves to rid drowsiness.

She said, “I really don’t see where (students) drinking coffee causes them to really be agitated or bouncing off the walls because I don’t think they drink enough (for that to happen).”

Seketa also doesn’t think coffee has that much of a profound effect and he has done fine without drinking coffee. He said even without coffee he enjoys working at the cafe and seeing other people start their day off with a drink.

“Students can have a healthy relationship with coffee, or they can have a less sustainable relationship with it,” He said via email. “A daily coffee is a reasonable routine to have. In contrast, once someone gets dependent on that caffeine it could become an issue.”

Marquez said she prepares the cafe for the next day since she works in the afternoons, and has seen many people using the cafe.

“I usually clean the machines and the tables, and I make sure that if a class comes over they are comfortable and they can always let me know if they need something. I basically just make sure everything is in order.” she said.

Noel said she wants people to keep utilizing the cafe as a place for morning coffee. 

She said, “The new fall special at the cafe is very good! Our sales have decreased this year and we would love to see more people coming into the cafe, although we can only accommodate a certain number (due to COVID-19).”

Seketa said he also wanted greater participation in the cafe as they have recently added dozens of new coffees and food products.

Seketa said via email, “The cafe is a great extra/co-curricular activity and more students should try getting involved. If getting directly involved in it doesn’t fit your schedule, feel free to come by the (Carmel) cafe to support it like it’s a local business.”