Tucked into the front of the 2nd building on North Creek’s campus, the Den is one of NCHS’s greatest landmarks. Run entirely by DECA students and teacher Thomas Olsen, it operates like a real cafe or store, with a menu comprised of Italian sodas, cookies, and coffee, to caffinate the average student and help them make it through the day.
“Ms. [Jennifer] Ligot trained students on how to use the coffee machine when the store first opened,” senior Emma Kao, Vice President of Leadership for North Creek’s DECA, said. Besides that, marketing instructor Thomas Olsen manages the store. He “is in charge of managing the Den, so I would say he’s the one who started it and kinda put everything together,” senior Sara Kansal, a marketing student, said.
In terms of the everyday, the Den is a great place to foster community and build connection. “Working at The Den is a friendly and low stakes job that allows you to gain work experience right here at North Creek. The crew is always busy, whether we’re working a shift in-store or doing work behind the scenes,” senior Anishka Gupta said. “Throughout the year we also apply our business skills – as fourth year marketing students – towards market research and promotions for the store in order to improve and provide the best service for our customers.”
Kao echoes a similar sentiment. She lists the practical skills one can learn working for the Den, such as making drinks, baking cookies, and counting tills. “It’s just like working at a real cafe,” Kao said.
All three interviewees said there were no salaries involved in the Den. So, why do they do it? “All of our profit goes towards the North Creek DECA program, allowing us to lower competition fees for participants in the club. Supporting The Den makes DECA more accessible to everyone by making fees less of a barrier to participation, so we appreciate all our customers for making that possible!” Gupta said. Kansal also mentioned that working at the Den is a part of the marketing students’ grades, and that they must work at least 2 shifts a week.
Both Kansal and Gupta agree that the Den’s cookies are a bestseller, with Gupta commenting tha they “always have a rush during the beginning of both lunches for our chocolate chip and chocolate candy cookies, and more often than not, we sell out within the first ten minutes.” In addition, all three agree that the Italian sodas are popular, with Gupta remarking that “I think people should really take advantage of the variety of Italian soda flavors we offer! Combining flavors to make your own Italian soda is an easy way to find a drink that you like, and I think we have something for everyone with a sweet tooth. My personal favorite combination is from a community service project (Cure4Cancer) that one of our DECA competitors did earlier this year, the mango-peach Italian soda with whipped cream!”
In order to join the Den, there is a long journey through marketing classes. “Working at The Den is a goal you have to have in mind either as you enter high school or as you sign up for classes for your sophomore year. Being a member of the team at The Den is part of taking the fourth year marketing class, which can only be taken after the preceding three (though in years where there’s room for it, you may be able to take it after your second year of marketing),” Gupta said.
In addition to that, the Den is also connected to DECA. “The Den was born with the school as a part of the DECA program. DECA is a club integrated with the four marketing courses offered at North Creek,” Gupta said. “All students in a marketing class are automatically enrolled in DECA. We have also gold recertified the retail and food aspect of the Den for many years now through the DECA SBE (School Based Enterprise) event and manual, which has allowed us to present our store at state and national competition,” Kao added.
Even if it doesn’t pay in cash, working at the Den is a worthwhile investment for any student interested in marketing. It pays in experience, barista skills, community and access to competitions, which is sometimes far more valuable than just a salary.
