Cameron Penney
A dozen Grade 11 and 12 students in the Business Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at Fort High recently returned from a trip to Toronto.
Held May 29-June 1, the students aimed to take advantage of hands-on learning that could never be conveyed properly in the classroom.
“The trip was fully funded by the Ministry of Education in part of the Business SHSM program, which is brand new to FFHS this year,” explained business education teacher Shannon Westover.
“This was our first year running it, with 22 students enrolled,” she noted.
“The trip is a required component of the program and fulfills the ‘Reach Ahead’ component, which allows students to learn more about future careers in business,” Westover added.
“And possibly the next steps if they wish to pursue [a career].”
Twelve students from the program took part in the trip this year—travelling to Thunder Bay and then flying to Toronto.
The first day in the city was a whirlwind for the group.
They first visited the headquarters of Google Canada and had lunch in the cafeteria there.
Then they continued on to Twitter Canada headquarters to tour the facilities.
The last visit of the day was to a company called North Strategic, which is owned by Fort Frances native Mia Pearson.
“The passion she has for her job is easily seen, and was shared with us as she welcomed us into her office,” Westover enthused.
“We were lucky to have her, along with two of her co-workers,” she noted, adding one of the co-workers hailed from Dryden.
The following day, the students visited Canada’s Wonderland to take part in a marketing seminar.
“The seminar explained their marketing strategy, who they try to target their advertising to, and future goals for the entertainment facility,” Westover explained.
The students began the trek back home the following morning.
Despite savouring all the learning opportunities along the way, several students lamented the brevity of the trip.
“The only way this trip could have been improved would be adding an extra day onto [it],” said Grade 11 student Blake Kellar.
“We would be able to visit even more amazing businesses and wouldn’t be so tight on time,” he reasoned.
“That way, we could really absorb the information that we were learning in order to get a broader sense of our futures thanks to the SHSM program.”
Grade 11 student Savannah Whalen also wished the trip could have been longer.
“I was looking online after the trip and I saw the Toronto Business Development Centre, and I figured that would’ve been a cool place to tour,” she noted.
“It caught my eye because we were on a business trip and it’s a place that develops business.
“I wanted to get something along those lines out of the trip—learning how businesses became how they are and who helped them get started,” Whalen added.
Joleigh Hayes, another Grade 11 student, said she learned about various career opportunities during the trip that she didn’t know about beforehand.
“When we visited North Strategic, they explained to us exactly what they did and how they are the ‘middle people’ when signing contracts between other businesses and clients,” she recalled.
“Prior to the trip, I thought that the basic careers were helping maintain the technology behind the websites.”
Hayes also said she believes the experience will benefit her when she pursues a post-secondary education.
“I’d like to take my Associate of Arts across [the river] at Rainy River Community College for two years,” she noted.
Hayes then would plan on transferring to a school such as the College of Saint Benedict (St. Joseph, Mn.) or the College of Saint Scholastica (Duluth) to earn a business degree.
“Then I’d like to come back to Canada and go to Queen’s University for law school,” she enthused.
For her part, Grade 11 student Cassidy Jolicoeur agreed the trip taught her more about how businesses function.
“Businesses take time to create but are worth it in the long run,” she remarked
“There is a lot more to do as an adult in business besides accounting and marketing,” Jolicoeur added, citing public relations as an example.
