Algoma District School Board (ADSB), Photo Credit: Darren Taylor, Sootoday

For Jeffrey, a student who is part of the Sweetened program at White Pines Collegiate in Sault Ste. Marie, creativity is his specialty. So when a local woman requested 70 custom chocolate ladybugs to honour her late daughter, Jeffrey was able to design the entire process in his head within 15 minutes.

Sweetened is an innovative entrepreneurship program and social enterprise that came out of a redefined high school business curriculum in 2025. The Board worked with White Pines to assume ownership of a local chocolate-making business that was destined to close and transformed it into a state-of-the-art "chocolate factory".

Jason Zachary, a passionate culinary teacher seconded to support culinary programs and food security for the Algoma District School Board (ADSB), said the students have far exceeded his expectations.

"I underestimated this age group," says Jason Zachary. "The more we give them a push and let them problem-solve, the more they blow my mind."

With today’s graduates facing an uncertain job market, programs like Sweetened are how the ADSB provides new kinds of learning opportunities to prepare students to hit the ground running.

Solution: A Bridge Between Education and Industry

Sweetened addresses the need for well-paying career opportunities by providing students with high-quality, in-demand skills training while supporting the community.

The program operates as a fully functioning business where students are the drivers. Zachary views the program as the “trunk” of all learning, with a focus on layering in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) concepts and applying them to the chocolate-making business.

Sweetened uses a purpose-built, climate-controlled facility and embraces that cross-curricular approach, pulling talent from departments across the school:

●     Engineering & Fabrication: Students use food-grade plastic to design and 3D-print custom chocolate moulds for corporate clients.

●     Business and Marketing: Students manage a professional Point of Sale (POS) system, handle customer communications, set pricing, and track      inventory. They also develop brand designs and packaging.

●      Communications Technology: Students lead professional photography and social media campaigns that have directly resulted in commercial-level sales growth.

●      Trades: Students explore "welding with chocolate" to understand structural principles and learn fabrication techniques to create the moulds.

 This entire venture operates as an authentic learning experience in a real-world setting. Students are mentored by local chocolatiers who have been trained at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy and graduate as job-ready professionals.

“We built an environment where students experience what it truly means to develop a product and manage production,” explains Zachary.

Results: Confidence, Maturity and Employment

Sweetened extends its impact far beyond the kitchen, serving as a powerful engine for student confidence, maturity, and workforce development.

●         Economic Impact: The program achieved a tenfold increase in sales since its launch.

●         Market Success: Students sold thousands of dollars worth of product during a Valentine’s Day pop-up, proving their brand competes with major retailers.

●         Employability: Students graduate with resumes featuring real-world business management and production experience.

●         Professional Growth: One student transitioned from the program into a paid board position, now managing the enterprise's retail presence.

●         Self-Sustaining Equity: Proceeds from chocolate sales fund school-based programs, including breakfast and lunch programs for students in need, to promote food equity and eliminate the stigma.

"This is an innovative idea that combines learning, innovation, chocolate, and an ability for those in our local communities to support our students, our young citizens" says Lucia Reece, Director of Education.

By reframing STEAM, the trades and entrepreneurship as an exciting first choice, Algoma is building a proactive model for educational innovation in Ontario. Sweetened hasn’t just given the Sault access to high-quality Belgian chocolate for the first time in years – it’s given White Pines Collegiate students hands-on experience to get a jump on the job market when they graduate.

And for students like Jeffrey, they can hone their focus and artistic eye through Sweetened – finding their calling in the precise, temperature-controlled world of professional chocolate making.