Sault school board takes a ‘sweet’ approach to education

It has been a sweet process for the Algoma school board, who took over a local chocolate company and is using it to train students.

It’s a sweet change for Sweet Change -- the former Sault Ste. Marie chocolate company is now under Algoma District School Board ownership.

Now called Sweetened, the business still makes all the same sugary snacks, but teaches entrepreneurship and a range of skills to students.

The Algoma board purchased Sweet Change Chocolate Company last year and converted a section of White Pines Collegiate for the new chocolate-making operation.

Board staff and Sweetened employees now work alongside students to produce the chocolate and run the business.

“They’re eager to learn. So it’s easy to teach somebody that wants to learn,” said Carolyn McKay, lead chocolatier at Sweetened.

“They’ve been doing great, learning and being patient. Just one step at a time, teaching them. And then it works out at the end.”

“Everybody loves chocolate,” added White Pines principal Jennifer Barbeau.

“It makes everybody happy. And students are actually more engaged. We’re seeing attendance increase. Student success in those business classes is fantastic. And the teacher gets to demonstrate his knowledge of actually running a business through the use of Sweetened.”

Students participate in many ways. Those with an eye for the creative are involved with the website and take the photos they use to market their products.

They’re also looking to technical courses to 3D print custom molds for their Belgian chocolate bars.

In addition to helping make the sweets, they also sell it first-hand at events such as Greyhounds games, gaining knowledge with point-of-sale machines.

“I’ve learned how to like have customers skills, like talking to customers, bringing them in like more at the greyhound games,” said Grade 11 business student Emma Cote.

“You really got to yell at the people to get their attention. I feel like that’s really going to help me, cause I want to go into real estate, and it’s going to help me advertise and get people’s attention for my business.”

Other students said the hands-on learning makes them confident in their abilities to enter the working world, and seeing their work as part of the business only makes that confidence grow.

“It’s actually very, very rewarding,” said Grade 10 communications student Mercedes Brodie.

“When I walked into the Sweetened shop this morning, I (saw) one of my pictures that I had come up with on one of their doors. So it was it was just really nice to see that it was going towards something good.”

Profits from Sweetened support initiatives like the Algoma District School Board’s breakfast program at both elementary and secondary schools across the region, as well as experiential learning opportunities for students.