Spartan Bagels and Pizzeria

There’s all sorts of things you expect to find in a high school-the library, lockers, the gym…but Hazleton Secondary School is home to something exceptionally unique, and delicious-Spartan Bagels & Pizzeria! Staffed by students, the restaurant is a fantastic way for youth to learn business and food preparation skills hands on, giving them practical tools that will help them succeed once they leave the school! 

Everything at Spartan Pizzeria is made from scratch by the students, from the pizza dough, to the sauce for the hot wings, and they love doing it! 

Working at the Pizzeria is a lot of fun for me. What I enjoy is learning about preparation and especially making the pizzas and wings”

Delicious pizzas like the Spicy Hawaiian, are available to purchase Wednesday-Friday from 4pm-8pm at the high school and all profits generated go to funding school activities. Take it from the students, there’s no better place to work! 

“My experience at the pizzeria has been amazing. I’ve learned so many new skills and have been able to improve on skills at the same time. I’ve learned to be patient, and work hard when there’s a rush. The work environment is friendly and very fun. I love working with others and getting to meet others.”

Next time you’re craving pizza, call Spartan Pizzeria! The student staff can’t wait to serve you up a pizza!

The inspiration for this enterprise came with Vice Principal, Paul Boisvert, who began a similar program at a school in a fly-in community in the Northwest Territories. This program is designed to give students work experience, business skills and trade skills. The restaurant plays a key role in building the business program. Accounting and Marketing classes for students in Grades 10 to 12 are using real data and watching their decisions play out in real-time. A rewarding part of this program for Paul is watching the students fall in love with the concept and take ownership of it.

Meet Philip Ponchet

Meet Philip Ponchet

Philip Ponchet believes a strong foundation of training, support and mentoring can allow the youth of today to achieve any goal. After managing a busy coastal restaurant and seeing how vital summer students and youth were to its success, Philip was excited to manage an opportunity for the students of Hazelton Secondary School that allowed them a gateway to self development and hands on business education.

Philip received his BC Provincial Instructor Diploma in 2014 and is a part time teacher at Coast Mountain College as well as Food Safe Level 1 for Northern Health.

Passionate about teaching, Philip believes that education, whether formal, or self taught, is vital to creating dreams and developing an individual's potential in life. He finds that learning in this business setting is an excellent way for students to feel involved in their school, to reflect on their goals and explore their talents in a practical and hands on way.

Hours

Wednesday to Friday
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM