The St. Paul the Apostle primay choir under the direction of Ms. Kristine Shewchuk and accompanied by Ms. Christina Begin was awarded a Gold Award and a mark of 89 at the Kiwanis Music Festival on Tuesday April 3, 2012. This young group of children sang “A Song of Peace” by Teresa Jennings. The adjudicator wrote “I am thankful to have heard you today! Keep singing!” The staff, students and parents are very proud of their commitment and dedication to their school choir.
Category: Student Achievement
Sudbury Catholic Board Wide Science Fair Winners
The annual Sudbury Catholic Board Wide Science Fair was held on March 1st, 2012 at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. There were a total of 49 students that participated at the board level this year. Fifteen projects were selected to move on to the Regional Science Fair being held at Laurentian University on April 14th and 15th. Out of the fifteen projects moving on to the next level of competition, 4 were selected as the top winners.
St. Charles College: The Environmental Award – Marika Moskalyk (gr. 8) – Marymount Academy
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School: Physical Science Award– Mia Tullio (gr. 8)– Marymount Academy
Marymount Academy: Innovation Award – Caleb Beland (gr. 8)– St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary: Health Sciences Award – Alex Pudupakkam (gr. 8)– St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Additional students moving on to the Regional Science Fair…
Isabella Scola Lawrynshyn – Marymount Academy
Serina Seguin – Marymount Academy
Kayla Nickson and Abrosia Cantin – Marymount Academy
Elyssa Ryan and Chloe Franke – St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Chris Rowsell – St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Steven Chevrier and Nathan Lobben – St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Karly Hallett – St. John Catholic Elementary School
Ian Tom and Roman Leblanc – St. James Catholic Elementary School
Alex Guido – St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School
Haley Moskal – St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School
Ethan Jodouin – St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School
St. Anne English ABC’S Students Donation Cans Start “Paying Off”!
Earlier this fall, Olivia Dunbabin, an English Early Learning student at St. Anne School in Hanmer, and her classmates decided “you don’t have to be that old” to be able to make a difference in the world. She along with her four and five year old classmates think they are just the right age to stand up and be noticed. They have been making a difference to the animal world and as such, they don’t want people to call them the Kindergarten class anymore. They now want to be recognized as the “ABC’S”, All Because of Caring Students!
These young students within the Sudbury Catholic School Board have been on a mission. They have been raising money to help out Sudbury’s animal population. After discussing animals in the fall and enjoying a presentation from the Wild At Heart Animal Refuge, the young students told their teacher, Cheryl MacRury, that they wanted to do their part to help animals in the wild. With technological help from Mrs. Belanger’s Gr. 7 class in transferring the Kindergarten generated logo entitled the “ABC’S” onto the computer, the students have placed donation cans asking for one penny within Valley businesses. The donation cans, the Kindergarten logo, and brief explanation placards have been placed at Hanson’s Family Dentistry, Paula’s Canine Country Club, Evolve Active Therapy, and Nor-Ont Veterinary Hospital.
Thanks to the caring staffs at these businesses as well as family members from the students themselves, the “ABC’S” are on a mission that seems to be paying off. With the help of Mrs. Belanger’s Gr.7 class in counting out the donations, the young students have collected $40.00 and were able to present the Wild At Heart Refuge with some food and household items necessary for the animals from the Refuge’s wish list over the Christmas holidays. The “ABC’S” plan to keep giving to The Wild At Heart Refuge Center, but who knows? If their campaign is a successful one, they would like to even be able to donate to the local S.P.C.A. When asked if they are too little to make a difference in the world, these little people have only one thing to say. “We believe we can do it!” The staff and students at St. Anne School believe in you too. Way to go Angels!
From Project to Plan… Three Immaculate Students Are Making a Difference
Abigail Morgan, Sydney Hall and Alexa Connors are inspired – inspired to make a difference on the other side of the world.
The three grade 6 Immaculate Conception students, along with the rest of their class, were given a project. As part of their religion and French studies, the class was assigned a project about someone who has made a difference in the world. The three girls chose Ryan Hreljac. Ryan Hreljac, when he was just six years old, decided to raise money to buy and build wells in countries where there is little access to clean water. By 2001, Ryan had established the Ryan’s Well Foundation which raises money for wells to be built in areas affected by the global water crisis. Through learning about Ryan and his organization, Abigail, Sydney and Alexa knew that just doing a project wasn’t enough. They wanted to start their own fundraising efforts to support this foundation. After getting the support from their teacher, Chantal Rancourt, they brainstormed ideas on how best to approach their project. Ms. Raincourt suggested they put together a video presentation to share with their class and their school, as well as invite other schools at the Sudbury Catholic Board to get involved. The students decided to present their video, as well as hold a Water Wednesday on December 14. The girls’ class helped out by creating posters to put all over the walls throughout the school reminding everybody as the day drew closer, and the whole school was encouraged to bring in their loose change, loonies and toonies. At the end of the day, the girls managed to raise over $210 in their first day of fundraising. But it doesn’t end there. Many other activities have been planned including a walkathon and a jumpathon, scheduled for the spring as they are determined to reach their goal of $2000 – which is the cost of one well. “We are asking everybody to do extra chores, save their allowances, anything to help out” quipped all three girls when asked about what their next immediate plans were. “We started this during the month of November, and November’s virtue of the month is Justice, so we thought it was really important that we did something that helped with justice in the world.”
Chantal Rancourt, knew that they were serious about this right at the beginning of the project. “These girls approached me and began right away to discuss a plan – I knew that this was something that they were extremely passionate about.” Rancourt stated. “ I am so proud of their efforts, and their encouragement of others to support this cause. Their actions are truly reflective of the virtue of Justice, and they are now inspiring others to make a difference too. We are all looking forward to seeing what their next steps will be!”
St. Anne Kindergarten Student Authors Her Way Into Prize Winning Story
How young can you be to write your own story? Just ask St. Anne School student Ashlyn Carrierre. She is the newest recipient of the Ontario Catholic Elementary Teacher’s Young Author Award for 2011. Ashlyn is a student within the English Senior Kindergarten class at the Sudbury Catholic School in Hanmer. In January of this year, she wrote her own fairy tale entitled, “Princess Shalla and Prince Aucoinia Get Kidnapped.” Her story was then submitted to the Young Author’s contest in the fiction category for the Junior and Senior Kindergarten division. In April, the school received notification that Ashlyn’s story had won!
“I am so excited,” said Ashlyn. “I am so happy that I got a plaque. It feels really good to be an author.” In an awards ceremony that took place on June 17th, Ashlyn was presented with a plaque for her wall. The plaque shows not only Ashlyn’s name, but also the title of her fairy tale. The Ontario English Catholic Teacher’s Sudbury Unit President, Mr. Kent MacNeill, presented the award to Ashlyn in front on the entire school body as well as her family who were also attending. Her classroom teacher, Cheryl MacRury, told the assembled group that Ashlyn had a wonderful imagination for a little girl of her age and that she was very deserving of this award. Ashlyn knew that fairy tales started with “Once upon a time” and that they ended with everyone “living happily ever after”. She had picked her own characters and setting. She had come up with a problem for the characters and then the solution. And finally, all on her own, Ashlyn had used words like ferocious, sparkly, huge and dungeon, as well as names like Queen Shata, Princess Shalla, and Prince Aucoinia.
Ashlyn may or may not be Ontario’s newest author, but there is a good chance that she may be Ontario’s youngest author. Both staff and students from St. Anne School hope to one day be able to walk into Chapters and read books that Ashlyn has authored. She is certainly a little girl with a wonderful ability to write entertaining stories. Good luck with your talent in the future Ashlyn! St. Anne School is very proud of you!
Sudbury Catholic Second Annual Turning Points Essay Contest Awards
Students, parents, teachers and invited guests gathered at the Sudbury Catholic District Board office on May 4, 2011 to take part in the SCDSB’s second 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. Many of the Board’s secondary
students took part in this contest and the authors of the 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. Barry MacDonald, 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.
Allison Simpson, a Marymount English teacher whose class participated in the contest, spoke to the group about her own involvement and connection to the project. “No one can truly train or prepare us for what emerges as these essays take shape and the results are often very personal,” Simpson stated. “Some talk about great tragedies, some revelations. They are vessels into which our students pour their emotions, their questions, their dreams.” Simpson went on to explain the depth of the impact on these students. “More importantly than the writing itself, is the impact that the process has upon relationships in the lives of the authors. Parents have expressed that it has been a true “turning point” in their lives as it opened the doors to sharing with each other the effects of a very difficult time in both of their lives.”
Catherine McCullough, Director of Education expressed her delight at the expansion of the program in its second year. “I am thrilled that the this program once again met with such success, and am so proud and inspired by our students for having the courage to write and speak about their most personal and meaningful life experiences.”
Winning Essays included:
Grade 9/10 Awards:
Honourable Mentions:
• McKenna Urso, Breaking Promises
• Santeria Mulcahey, Unforeseeable
• Kaylee LeBreton, Kristin Rose
• Vanessa Bulfon, My Home Away From Home
• Keitlin Okell, The Trip that Saved My Life
• 4th place: Kayla McDonald, My One Birthday Wish
• 3rd place: Cassandra Durand, When I Became Me
• 2nd place: Jenny Daoust, My Flesh Eating Monster
• 1st place: Melissa Circelli, The One and Only
Grade 11/12 Awards:
Honourable Mentions:
• Bailey Zeman, Truth of Dreams
• Sarah Hunt, Hold Onto Your Heart
• Madison Burton, It’s Just the Way I Am
• Emily Cortolezzis, Calm After the Storm
• Sarah Tkachuk, The Key is Independence
• Taylor Hanson, Family Day
• 4th place: Deanna Falvo, Growing Old Gracefully
• 3rd place: Celine Charbonneau, The Open Armed Angel
• 2nd place: Alyssa Jylha, Thin Red Lines
• 1st place: Crystal Sahadat, A Second Chance in Life
MMA’s Envirothon Teams Take Top Spots
Students from Marymount Academy walked away from the region’s ninth annual Sudbury regional Envirothon competition as winners. In fact, the school’s two entries took the top two spots in this year’s competition. The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental program for students in Grades 9-12 and creates awareness about environmental issues in a variety of subject areas. Teams of 5 students prepare for the competition by intensely studying the various topics as well as preparing themselves to put together a project at the competition related to a different environmental issue -which is chosen every year. This year’s topic was “Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agriculture and Environmental Planning”.
Jason Weiler, the Marymount teacher in charge of the team has been involved with the Envirothon for the past 6 years and his teams have taken the top spot for 5 of those years. “It is a real credit to my students who continue to embrace the environment,” Weiler stated. “They are extremely dedicated to the team, and to being stewards of the earth, and am extremely proud of their achievements.”
Teammate Jenna Floyd (Grade 10) who is on the first place team was thrilled with their win and was excited for the upcoming competition. “It was a fantastic learning experience for us,” Floyd said. “It has really given us a chance to take our academics outside the classroom and embrace learning in a whole new environment.”
Both teams from Marymount will be moving on to the Provincial competition which will be held May 5th – 8th at the Tim Horton Onondaga Farms in St. George, Ontario.
Kiwanis Festival Awards Gold to St. Anne Music Student
It has been a year filled with long hours of practice, but the efforts have paid off for Haley Blinn, a Gr.8 French Immersion student at St. Anne School. Haley recently competed in the Kiwanis Music Festival where she took home the Gold Award for her baritone sax solo.
Haley actually participated in 2 festival competitions during the day. One was with her Sudbury Catholic School Band comprised of members from 4 Catholic elementary schools under the direction of Ms. Joanne Comisso, vice-principal of St. Anne School, and Mrs. Leann Urso, instrumental band teacher at St Francis, St. Raphael and Pius XII Elementary schools. Haley won silver with the band, which was a great honour, but when asked about her gold Award win, Haley was ecstatic. She said, “I was very nervous but like everything else, practice helps. I think it is the practicing that helped me win the gold.” Ms. Comisso congratulated Haley on all of her hard work and outstanding contribution to the band. All the staff and students at St. Anne School are very proud of you Haley and we wish you continued success with music in your future! Way to go Angel!
Inaugural Personal Support Worker Class Graduates from St. Albert
Family and friends gathered in the gym at St Albert Adult Learning Centre on February 25th, 2011 to celebrate with the students of the school’s inaugural Personal Support Worker graduating class. Nineteen students made up the graduating class and, as well as a Personal Support Worker Diploma, several students also received their Secondary School Diploma. Cassandra MacGregor, Principal of the school addressed the students and spoke about how proud the staff and community is of the group. “By the year 2020, statistics say that one in every five Greater Sudbury residence will be over the age of sixty-five, and the need for this service is growing rapidly,” MacGregor said. “ Through their perseverance and determination, this class has demonstrated great skill and knowledge, and I know that my family and friends will be in good hands if and when these students’ skills are ever required.”
Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Landry-Altmann and Sudbury Catholic Board Chair Barry MacDonald echoed MacGregor’s sentiments and also congratulated the class for their courage and will to succeed in the program.
Numerous community partners and agencies were also on hand to support the students as many did on the job placements with the different organizations. Several of the students have already been offered jobs beginning immediately after the graduation. Valedictorian of the class, Brenda Legrow, spoke to the group about their success and voiced her elation at finally reaching this stage. “It is through the strength of our minds, our bodies and our hearts, that we have made it here today,” Legrow said. “And we need to thank ourselves for overcoming all of our own trials and tribulations and making it this far in our journey.”
The next group of students has already begun their classes this past January and the staff of St. Albert expects the interest in this program to steadily increase over the next year as with the growing aging population, the need for this type of job is rapidly expanding.
For more information on the Personal Support Worker program at St. Albert Adult Learning Centre, contact the school at (705) 673-3031.