Frontenac Secondary School students receive Shopify certification

Business Leadership students at Frontenac Secondary School are getting the opportunity to receive Shopify certification through a program in partnership with St. Lawrence College.

The Shopify Badge Program was developed by St. Lawrence College program coordinator & educator of marketing Pam Armstrong and is the first of its kind. Business Leadership teacher David Casey connected with Armstrong in November 2018, and collaborated to help Frontenac Secondary School become the first high school in the world to earn Shopify Badge Program accreditation.

The badge program has three stages with strict criteria — Frontenac Secondary School students had the opportunity to earn the first of three badges offered by the College through the Shopify Badge Program. The program was a hit, with two students going on to achieve the third badge by taking their stores live and beginning to earn income.

Armstrong described the students as “really bright,” and said many found the program to be a valuable learning opportunity. Student Justice Henry said he and fellow students were surprised “how easy it can be to learn the (Shopify) platform.”

Students Lily Dingman and Maverick Brown expressed gratitude for the chance to engage in self-directed learning. Armstrong and Casey said that they “weren’t the experts,” and that students often had to work collaboratively towards solving problems their teachers may not have answers to.

“It’s a big change from the normal high school environment,” Brown commented.

Brown said he and fellow students had gained “dedication and problem solving skills” that “employers will love,” while another student, Emma Hodgeson, said she felt the badge program “prepared us for university” and “the real world.”

Brown, Dingman, Henry, and Hodgeson all agreed that the program made them more likely to consider going into fields and programs related to business or e-commerce.

“The background knowledge in e commerce will apply no matter what we do,” Henry said.

Shopify Head Office plans on expanding to teach the Shopify Badge Program other schools using the Frontenac Secondary School/St. Lawrence College experience as a model.