Earlier this year, the St. James Safe Schools student council, named C3 (Catholic, Community and Culture) was awarded a Government of Ontario “Speak Up Grant” for their inclusive education campaign. In organizing activities, the C3 aims promote a positive school culture of mutual acceptance and inclusion.
A recent C3 campaign was an in-school Safe Schools Button Contest. All students were given the opportunity to design a button that reflects the safe, caring, inclusive environment at St. James Catholic School. Several members of the school community judged the button submissions and three student designs were published as button badges for every student in the school.
The three winners are Lidia Campagnaro (grade 4), Joshua Laronde (grade 4) and Christopher De Poli (SK).
Lidia Campagnaro’s explains that in her design “everyone is holding hands to show that at St. James we’re like a family and we treat each other respectfully”.
Joshua Laronde’s button is “meant to show that St. James school is welcoming to everyone”.
SK student Christopher De Poli’s button depicts a bear, the St. James mascot “because we are all St. James Bears”.

Using an ancient tradition originating from Mexico, the Grade 5/6 French Immersion class at St. James Catholic School wove yarn around two sticks glued in the shape of a cross to create a “Sikuli”–“God’s Eye”. This tradition of the Huicholl Indians of Mexico is based on the belief that the person that “God’s Eye” was created for, will be more knowledgeable to the ways of Jesus and wiser. According to the belief, the father creates a Sikuli (God’s Eye) for their newborn and continues to add a length of yarn to the Sikuli on the child’s birthday until the child is 5 years old.