A Sweet Success: St. Mary CES students pitch winning designs to Dooher’s Bakery

April 21, 2026

In a delicious blend of literacy and local entrepreneurship, the Grade 5/6 students at St. Mary Catholic Elementary School in Campbellford recently transformed a classroom assignment into a real-world business pitch. 

Under the guidance of their teacher, Ms. Glover, students have been honing their persuasive writing skills by developing concepts for a “new” donut for the town’s iconic Dooher’s Bakery—the reigning winner of the “Sweetest Bakery in Canada” title. 

What began a month ago as an exercise in building logical arguments and expanding vocabulary turned into a high-stakes presentation when the owners of Dooher’s Bakery, who are themselves multi-generational graduates of the PVNC Catholic, surprised the class with a personal visit.

The atmosphere in the classroom was electric as the bakery owners arrived, armed with freshly made sprinkle donuts, to listen to the students defend their creative culinary visions. 

After weeks of drafting paragraphs and refining their pitches, each student stood before the local experts to explain why their specific donut deserved a spot in the legendary bake shop. 

The owners were deeply impressed by the caliber of work, noting that the students displayed incredible imagination, heart, and a level of pride that made the judging process nearly impossible.

By the end of the session, the owners of Dooher’s had selected three top donut concepts that may actually be featured at the bakery in the future. 

In a heartfelt social media post following the visit, the bakery expressed its   joy in seeing the next generation of creative thinkers in Campbellford, remarking that the future of the community looks “very sweet” indeed.