More than 80 students from Timmins High & Vocational School and Roland Michener Secondary School took their learning beyond the classroom this week. Students in the Health & Wellness, Culinary Arts, Manufacturing, Construction, Business, and Information & Communications Technology Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) sectors spent the day at Mount Jamieson Resort for a hands-on innovation and problem-solving challenge.
SHSM provides students with specialized training, certifications, and real-world experiences connected to future careers. This event combined the Sector-Partnered Experience (SPE) with the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Challenge, giving students a chance to work directly with industry partners to tackle authentic challenges using design thinking.
This year’s challenge asked:
“How might we increase community involvement at Mount Jamieson Resort—through memberships, day passes, events, activities, or new experiences?”
After touring the hill, learning about snowmaking and grooming, and meeting Mount Jamieson staff, students brainstormed creative ways to strengthen connections between the resort and the community.
Their ideas included:
- Loyalty cards and membership perks
- Teen theme nights and youth-focused events
- Public transportation options
- A “Taste of Fall” culinary event
- Ski swaps to increase affordability
- Search & Rescue training experiences
- Safety awareness campaigns
Throughout the day, students reflected on how much they learned:
“I was impressed by the staff’s preparations for the ski season and grateful for the chance to present my ideas to the Mount Jamieson board.”
— Keira Aston, Grade 11 Health & Wellness SHSM student
“The SPE challenge at Mount Jamieson gave me a behind-the-scenes look at hill operations, including snowmaking and grooming, and the effort involved in managing the hill. I also enjoyed collaborating with my SHSM business team to develop creative solutions while learning the importance of teamwork and organization.”
— Genevieve Kelly, Grade 10 Business SHSM student
Staff also highlighted the impact of the experience:
“Opportunities like this—where students explore challenges, think creatively, and design innovative solutions—are exactly what SHSM is all about. These hands-on, real-world experiences allow our students to grow, collaborate, and push their thinking.”
— Kaitlin Rothel, SHSM Program Lead, THVS
Mount Jamieson Resort expressed their enthusiasm as well:
“We were extremely pleased to host more than 80 students as part of their SHSM program. Students looked outside the box and came up with innovative, amazing ideas. Some of these ideas are seriously being considered and could potentially be implemented as soon as this season.”
— Peter Thyrring, Snow School & Outdoor Education Manager, Mount Jamieson Resort
A huge thank you to Mount Jamieson Resort for welcoming our students and supporting experiential learning at its best!