SHSM Workshop: Students Reimagine Purdys Chocolatier

Talk about starting the semester with energy.

Back in September, students from the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) participated in an SHSM design thinking workshop that pushed them far beyond traditional classroom learning. Their challenge? Reimagine the Purdys Chocolatier retail experience for a generation that expects more than transactions, they want memorable experiences.

This wasn't theoretical. This was an authentic Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) challenge, one of the core components of Ontario's Specialist High Skills Major programs. No PowerPoints. No lectures. Just real stakes, real creativity, and ideas compelling enough to send directly to Purdys' president.

The ICE Challenge: Transforming Transactions into Experiences

The brief was clear: take the typical Purdys shopping experience (walk in, select chocolate, purchase, leave) and transform it into something customers actively seek out and share about.

For high school students accustomed to thinking of retail as purely functional, this design thinking exercise opened entirely new possibilities. What if the store became a destination? What if buying chocolate felt less like an errand and more like an event worth posting about?

This is exactly what SHSM programs across Ontario are designed to deliver: hands-on learning that connects classroom concepts with real-world industry challenges. Students weren't preparing for future careers; they were actively participating in the kind of strategic thinking that shapes actual business decisions.

Student Innovation: Bold Proposals That Impressed Industry Leaders

Working through structured design thinking methodologies, HWDSB students developed proposals that demonstrated sophisticated understanding of customer experience, operational feasibility, and competitive differentiation.

Their standout ideas included:

A transparent tube system where chocolates appear to "fly" around the store's ceiling, creating an Instagram-worthy visual spectacle that draws customers in and gives them something to share.

A massive chocolate fountain centerpiece that transforms the product from merchandise into theater, creating an immediate focal point and photo opportunity.

Limited-edition ice cream flavours named after Purdys' iconic chocolates, expanding the brand into new categories and creating purchase occasions beyond traditional chocolate gifting seasons.

Self-checkout stations inspired by Uniqlo's seamless technology, allowing time-pressed customers to grab and go while preserving personalized service for those who want expert guidance on selections.

These weren't random brainstorms. Each concept reflected genuine insight into modern consumer behaviour, operational considerations, and what makes retail experiences shareable in 2025.

Why This Workshop Worked: Authentic Experiential Learning

Here's what elevated this SHSM workshop from good to exceptional: the students' complete design proposals were packaged and sent to the President of Purdys Chocolatier.

Not graded and filed. Not kept within school walls. Delivered to an actual decision-maker at a recognized Canadian brand.

That authenticity transforms everything. When students know their work might genuinely influence business strategy, engagement skyrockets. Ideas become bolder. The sense of ownership intensifies. This is what Industry Client Engagement looks like in practice: connecting student creativity with real-world consequences.

The feedback validated the approach:

• Students rated the session 4.6 out of 5

• 100% found it insightful and engaging

• Creativity levels were, according to facilitators, "off the charts"

But beyond quantitative metrics, the qualitative impact mattered most. Students debating design choices with the intensity of professional strategists. Teams building on each other's thinking rather than competing. The visible moment when a student realizes their idea could actually work in the real world. That's the energy experiential learning creates.

Essential Elements of Effective SHSM Design Thinking Workshops

Several key principles that other Ontario schools can replicate:

Partner with recognizable brands. Students shop at Purdys. That familiarity makes the challenge immediately tangible and relevant, unlike hypothetical case studies about companies they've never encountered.

Frame challenges around transformation. Asking students to "improve" something invites incremental thinking. Asking them to "reimagine" or "transform" gives permission to be genuinely bold and creative.

Maintain high energy through varied activities. Design thinking thrives on doing, not just discussing. The workshop structure shifted between individual brainstorming, team collaboration, prototyping, and presentation every 10-15 minutes.

Ensure student work reaches decision-makers. When proposals are shared with actual industry partners rather than disappearing into filing cabinets, it validates student effort and demonstrates their contributions have genuine value.

Celebrate creative risk-taking. The best ideas often start rough. Creating space to celebrate bold thinking, even when execution details need refinement, encourages the kind of innovative thinking employers actually value.

SHSM Programs: Bridging Classroom Learning and Career Pathways

This September workshop represents what SHSM programs across Ontario are fundamentally about: connecting student curiosity with real-world skills and industry exposure that inform career decisions.

The Specialist High Skills Major framework requires five core components, including Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship challenges exactly like this Purdys project. Students aren't just learning about business concepts; they're applying design thinking to solve problems companies genuinely face.

Across partnerships with over 20 Ontario school boards, including TCDSB, PDSB, YCDSB, and York Region, this experiential learning model consistently generates strong results: 100% of participating students report they would recommend these workshops to peers, and 94% find the sessions genuinely engaging.

From Student to Strategic Thinker

The HWDSB students who tackled the Purdys challenge walked away with more than design skills. They gained confidence in their creative abilities, exposure to how professional strategists approach customer experience, and tangible evidence that their ideas matter beyond school walls.

This mindset shift, from student to contributor, extends far beyond a single workshop. When young people experience being taken seriously as problem-solvers rather than just learners, it changes how they approach challenges going forward.

Somewhere at Purdys headquarters, a president received proposals from Ontario high school students. Some of those ideas might actually influence how Canadians experience chocolate shopping in the future. That possibility, that connection between student creativity and real-world impact, is what makes experiential learning transformative.

Written by the LearnIt Team

LearnIt Solutions Inc.

LearnIt partners with over 20 Ontario school boards to deliver hands-on SHSM workshops that connect students with real-world industry challenges. Through Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship experiences, we've worked with 1,000+ students across programs achieving 97% satisfaction rates. Our approach bridges classroom learning with authentic career pathway exploration.

As part of LearnIt Media, we also amplify education innovation stories through our "Behind the Chalkboard" podcast, featuring conversations with Ontario superintendents, principals, and education leaders reimagining student learning.

• Email: dhiraj@learn-it.ca

• Listen: Catch our latest interviews on the Behind the Chalkboard podcast.

• Learn: Explore how we support schools with SHSM & Experiential Learning.

• Experience: Bring SHSM programming to your students at “SHSM event”