Photo caption (from left to right): Contractor Larry Taylor Jr.; ProtechMyPC owner Jonathan Harris; LCS students Dixon Truett, Gio Aranda, and Leah Jenkins; and Lamp & Post owner Myke Barron.
Next time you use the Wi-Fi or order a drink at the Lamp & Post, you can thank Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) students. Heritage and E. C. Glass 12th graders installed the new coffee shop and bookstore’s network infrastructure, powering the internet, point-of-sale system, and security cameras.
The week before the cafe opened, cybersecurity students configured and set up the equipment. Jonathan Harris, the owner of computer security company ProtechMyPC, guided them through the 72-hour project. They finished just in time for the grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
“This experience gave students the unique opportunity to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world setting under experienced mentors. Their work made a tangible impact on the local community,” Heritage High cybersecurity teacher Bill Carter said.
The Lamp & Post’s iconic spot on Main Street has long been known as “Lynchburg’s living room.” The new shop carries the mantle of its predecessor, the White Hart Cafe, which served the city for 18 years before closing in December. Staff called the opening a “homecoming,” welcoming coffee lovers back into the familiar-but-fresh space.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to help with this. It feels good to be a part of something that has a positive impact on the community,” E. C. Glass High 12th grader Leah Jenkins said.
Myke Barron, the owner of the Lamp & Post and a member of the Lynchburg City School Board, knows the value of Career and Technical Education (CTE). When Harris proposed bringing students in to set up the cafe’s network, he jumped at the opportunity.
“As a business owner, I want to make our world accessible to young people. Kids don’t know what career opportunities are available unless somebody shows them. Giving students real-world vocational experiences is important to me,” Barron said.
Harris shares Barron’s sentiments about CTE. A Heritage High alum, he still remembers the CTE class he took in high school. At Central Virginia Community College, he took a technology course taught by Jason Clark, who’s now the LCS Supervisor of CTE.
Harris has been providing cybersecurity and computer repair services through ProtechMyPC since 2012. Along the way, he’s taken every opportunity to pass his knowledge along to young learners.
“My business is very community-oriented. We’re all connected, and if we work together, we all make it,” Harris said. “There are so many teachers who impacted me over the years. I’m carrying on a tradition.”
Under Harris, students applied classroom lessons to the real world. But cybersecurity and information technology aren’t the only career fields they explored.
Students designed a wall-mounted network hub to match the cafe’s cozy aesthetics, incorporating tips from interior designer Jenli Kaylor. They even pulled out the stud finders and hammers when it came time to mount their creation, learning carpentry basics from Larry Taylor Jr. of Larry Taylor Restoration.
“It was cool to see them take ownership of the project. They took critiques well and created a final project that’s functional and matches the aesthetic of the Lamp & Post,” Kaylor said.
Students learned firsthand what it was like to troubleshoot in a real-life situation under a deadline. They finished the network infrastructure project the day before the cafe’s grand opening, working alongside the Lamp & Post’s team of contractors, designers, business leaders, and staff to get everything ready for the big reveal.
“It’s been a great experience talking to the owner, the interior designer, the contractors, and everyone here,” Heritage High 12th grader Dixon Truett said. “I’m really passionate about computers. I want to advance in my career field so that when I’m older, I can pass my knowledge on to kids, too.”
The project provided a taste of what they might expect in the future, whether they become IT professionals, interior designers, contractors, or business owners. Barron hopes to create more multidisciplinary CTE opportunities for LCS students through the Lamp & Post.
“Coffee is the second largest import commodity after oil. There are so many career pathways within the coffee industry: chemistry, import-export, international business, marketing design, barista arts, and more,” Barron said. “Our business isn’t just about making money—we want to transform the community around us, and there’s no better way to do that than through our kids.”
Photo caption: Liam Turner-Moreno (left) led fellow Heritage High students Amari Calloway (center) and Gabriel Harris (right) in configuring the network router before students set it up on-site.