Sudbury Catholic District School Board

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Turning Points at Sudbury Catholic

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Students, parents, teachers and invited guests gathered at the Sudbury Catholic District Board office on October 28, 2010 to take part in the SCDSB’s first annual Turning Points Essay Contest Awards ceremony. This essay contest is an initiative which stems from the Learning Partnership which is an organization that champions a strong public education system to deliver innovative programs, credible research, policy initiatives, executive leadership and public engagement across Canada. Turning Points is a character development and literacy program that allows students to reflect on their fundamental values and, through a process of self-reflection and dialogue, write a narrative essay about a significant event, or turning point in their lives. The Board was approach last year about piloting the program and SCDSB administration felt that it was a good fit for Sudbury Catholic students as it ties in well with faith-based curriculum and the monthly virtues that each school celebrates.
Students from Marymount Academy and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Grades 9 to 12 took part in this contest and their essays were then submitted to students at York University for the first tier of judging. Second tier judging occurred back at board level and then all names and winning essays were submitted back to Turning Points for publication. Students who wrote winning essays were awarded plaques, a copy of the publication, as well as monetary awards at Thursday night’s celebration.
At the awards ceremony, the students were honoured for their efforts and several students had the opportunity to read their essays allowed. The audience was visibly moved by these emotional accounts and several of the teachers involved spoke of the courage and strength of their students to be able to write such heart-felt accounts of their experiences. Jody Cameron, SCDSB Board Chair congratulated the students for their outstanding efforts and encouraged them to continue on their journey of self-discovery and emotional and spiritual growth.
English Teachers from all four Sudbury Catholic Secondary Schools participated in the Turning Points inservice on October 29 to prepare for their second semester’s English classes and Catherine McCullough, Director of Education expressed her delight that the program is now expanding. “I am thrilled that the pilot program met with such success at two of our secondary schools and know that expanding to all four will only mean that even more of our students will be able to participate in such a unique and rewarding writing initiative.”

Winning Essays included:

Grade 9/10 Awards

3rd place: Corissa VandeWeghe, Four Kisses
2nd place: Kalya Richardson, Another Person’s Mistakes
1st place: Jorden Barberio, Stripping the Blue Chair

Grade 11/12 Awards

3rd place: Alexandria Tsimiklis, A Final Goodbye
2nd place: Shelby Eyre, A Subtle Charisma
1st place: Jennifer Roy, An Unforgettable Encounter

Marymount Attends “Guts and Glory”

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On Friday, October 22nd, members of the Marymount Academy Girls’ Athletic Association and various athletes from different grade levels attended the 4th Annual “Guts & Glory” fundraiser luncheon put on by SportLink Sudbury. This year’s event featured two local athletes – Alannah Maclean, an OFSAA gold medallist in Nordic skiing and Mike Coughlin, a triathlete who now calls Sudbury home. The keynote speaker was Ken Derrett who is the current VP of Marketing for the San Diego Chargers from the National Football League. At the luncheon, the girls listened to courageous stories about all of the hard work and dedication it takes to become an elite athlete. Mr. Derrett focused his energy on outlying an important “toolkit” to persevere in athletics. He spoke about the importance of education and staying current with what is going on in the world. Furthermore, he added that “having respect for all of the people who surround you on a consistent basis, will help greatly in guiding your athletic journey, whatever it may be.” The Marymount Athletic Association and the students & staff who attended would like to extend a sincere thanks to Faiella Financial for generously donating the tickets to once again attend this great event.

MMA Hosts Second Annual Parent Breakfast

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The gym was filled to capacity as Marymount Academy hosted its second annual Parent Breakfast on October 27, 2010. From 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. students and parents/guardians had the opportunity to enjoy breakfast, meet staff and learn a bit more about different MMA initiatives. The breakfast was put on by the school’s parent council and staff and allowed parents to meet some of their daughters’ teachers as well as talk to some of the students who are involved in school programs such as Student Council, Girls Athletic Association and Marymount Catholic Charities Council. Also on hand were members of the Parent Council who had several support books on hand for interested parents looking to read more about school and family related issues. School mascot A-Roar-a made an appearance and the morning proved to be “a-roar-ing” success!

Gators Give Back

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Every year at Thanksgiving, the community of Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S. gives thanks by giving back to the community with our canned food drive. These students believe it is important, as John the Baptist said, that “the one who has food should share with him who has none.” (Luke 3:11). This year, the staff and students definitely outdid themselves! They blew their goal of 2000 cans out of the water, with a final total of 5517 items of food! There was a tight competition between four homerooms, with Ms. Kozak’s class finally winning a free dress-down day with 1335 cans. Mr. McKee’s homeroom will also be sharing in the prize, as their small class of just 5 students managed to gather 1018 cans! Great fun was had by all, but more importantly, a great amount of food was donated to both the Hanmer food bank and the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Val Caron! Your generosity never ceases, Gators!

Casting their Ballots at St. Benedict

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As part of Government Week, Students at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School took part in a parallel election and held a student vote on Friday October 22, 2010. On hand was M.P.P. Rick Bartolucci who congratulated the students for getting involved and explained to them the significance of their participation. “Local government includes school board trustees, and that has a direct impact on you and your education,” Bartolucci said. “By learning about your local government, you are learning that voting is something you should take very seriously, and this will be the foundation piece for your future activity as responsible citizens in your community.”
Also addressing the students was St. Benedict Principal Karl Dreger who reinforced Bartolucci’s message regarding the importance of their participation in the vote.
Marli Kicz, St. Benedict student and Sudbury Catholic Student Trustee also spoke to the students about the significance of students getting involved and the power of the student voice. “By getting involved,” Kicz said, “students can have a positive impact – it is very empowering.”
The program run by Student Vote, in partnership with the Ontario government, encourages youth under the voting age to participate in the democratic process through parallel elections, and develop voting habits they can apply as adults.
Over 640 students at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School participated in Friday’s parallel election and Student Vote will share their results after the official polls close on October 25.

St. David Catholic School Partners with Aboriginal Best Start Hub to Celebrate Community

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St. David Catholic School and Better Beginnings, Better Futures Aboriginal Best Start Hub proudly partnered Wednesday evening to welcome their community for a free community dinner and celebration. Families gathered for corn soup and bannock as well as fruit and homemade desserts. School Board personnel and Best Start Hub employees worked together to teach all family members how to make a rattle craft. Entertainment was provided by the grade 8 students of the school and community volunteers worked to set up and prepare for the evening. All children in attendance received gift bags from Better Beginnings filled with toys and school tools. “It was a wonderful celebration and showcase of what community can do when we all work together. St. David School is very proud to be a part of such a community based, fun, opportunity for learning and laughing with our local families”, said Tina Timpano, vice principal of St. David School. Lana Trudeau, the Aboriginal Support Worker for SCDSB stated, “We are off to a fantastic start and look forward to many more celebrations similar to this in our future partnership with Better Beginnings. Everyone had a great time, laughed a lot and filled their bellies. We appreciate Better Beginnings and everything they offer the community”.

Mayoral candidate Visits Grade 8 Students at Pius

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Mayoral candidate Ted Callaghan visited Pius X11 School recently to discuss his platform with Mr. Horn’s grade 8 class. Students listened attentively and voiced concerns that they had about the city. Mr. Callaghan answered all the questions and a thought provoking discussion ensued.

St. Charles College Scores Big in Golf

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St. Charles College won the city golf championships for team play in recent weeks finishing one stroke ahead of St. Benedict. John Maley finished second in individual play with a score of 73. For NOSSA, the boys finished a close second to North Bay. For individual play at NOSSA, Stephen Gonko finished tied for third with a score of 73 followed closely by Evan Purcell and John Maley. The Cards displayed outstanding shot making but came up just short to qualifying for OFSSAA. Team members were John Maley, Stehen Gonko, Even Purcell, Ryan Purcell and Brady Reilly.

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