Trades, Creativity, and a Chocolate Factory Inside This Northern Ontario Public School
The Backroads Bill PodcastShow Notes
At White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie, school doesn’t look like it used to.
Alongside classrooms and hallways, students are learning trades, building real skills, and even running a working chocolate factory.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, we step inside White Pines to explore how the school is rethinking education. Principal Jennifer Barbeau and former student Josh Sidwell share why hands on learning, creativity, and multiple pathways matter, especially in Northern Ontario where one size does not fit all.
1:58 Why White Pines is rethinking traditional education 7:25 Josh’s journey from student to site supervisor 14:05 Indigenous culture and inclusion at White Pines 23:23 Teaching business and entrepreneurship in trades 38:29 The chocolate factory and school store story 43:57 Why this school represents the future of education
More from The Backroads Bill Podcast
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, Andre Bernier of Northern Spirit Adventures joins Bill and Ben to share how he brings the history of the voyageurs to life on the waters of Northern Ontario.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, Margaret Wanlin of Wabakimi Outfitters joins the show to talk about the devastating wildfires that swept through northwestern Ontario and changed Wabakimi in a matter of hours.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, author and minister Benjamin Perry joins the show to explore the ideas behind his book Cry Baby: Why Our Tears Matter and what crying can reveal about grief, identity, masculinity and emotional healing.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, Andrew MacKellar joins the show to talk about the upcoming North Bay Sasquatch Conference on October 10th and his own experiences investigating Sasquatch in Northern Ontario.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, Volker Beckmann shares the story of how Thompson, Manitoba built its identity as the Wolf Capital of the World.