From April 21-23, the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario held their annual conference in Toronto and celebrated the 2015 Principal of the Year Awards. Patty Mardero, Principal of St. Charles College was one of the five chosen in the province to be honoured this year.
Principal of S.C.C. for the past 11 years, Mardero began her teaching career 28 years earlier in Renfrew County. The next several years saw her teaching, as a vice principal, and as a principal at several Sudbury Catholic elementary schools including St. Francis, Sacred Heart, St. Theresa, St. Charles Elementary and Marymount Academy. In 2004 she became the first female principal of the former all-boys’ secondary school – St. Charles College. According to the CPCO release. “Patty believes in the power of service and strives to promote this with her students. In her first year at St. Charles College, the school collected 25,000 cans for the Sudbury Food Bank. Now it collects more than 100,000 cans – the largest, single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank. The school also raises over $10,000 yearly for missions, and sponsors 8 children from third world countries.”
According to Mardero, she is “very humbled to be recognized by Catholic Principals’ Ontario for this award. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated principals and vice principals committed to making a difference in the lives of the students we serve. I thank the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for allowing me the opportunity to teach, lead and grow. I appreciate their support and faith in me over the past 26 years.”
“On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, I would like to say how proud we are of Patty Mardero,” Jody Cameron, Chair of the Board for the SCDSB stated. “She truly exemplifies a strong Catholic leader and we are so fortunate to have her in our schools supporting and mentoring our staff, as well as nurturing our students to be future leaders.”
Category: Staff Achievement
Patty Mardero – St. Charles College Princpal C.P.C.O. Principal of the Year
From April 21-23, the Catholic Principals Council of Ontario held their annual conference in Toronto and celebrated the 2015 Principal of the Year Awards. Patty Mardero, Principal of St. Charles College was one of the five chosen in the province to be honoured this year.
Principal of S.C.C. for the past 11 years, Mardero began her teaching career 28 years earlier in Renfrew County. The next several years saw her teaching, as a vice principal, and as a principal at several Sudbury Catholic elementary schools including St. Francis, Sacred Heart, St. Theresa, St. Charles Elementary and Marymount Academy. In 2004 she became the first female principal of the former all-boys’ secondary school – St. Charles College. According to the CPCO release. “Patty believes in the power of service and strives to promote this with her students. In her first year at St. Charles College, the school collected 25,000 cans for the Sudbury Food Bank. Now it collects more than 100,000 cans – the largest, single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank. The school also raises over $10,000 yearly for missions, and sponsors 8 children from third world countries.”
According to Mardero, she is “very humbled to be recognized by Catholic Principals’ Ontario for this award. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated principals and vice principals committed to making a difference in the lives of the students we serve. I thank the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for allowing me the opportunity to teach, lead and grow. I appreciate their support and faith in me over the past 26 years.”
“On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, I would like to say how proud we are of Patty Mardero,” Jody Cameron, Chair of the Board for the SCDSB stated. “She truly exemplifies a strong Catholic leader and we are so fortunate to have her in our schools supporting and mentoring our staff, as well as nurturing our students to be future leaders.”
Patty Mardero, Principal of St. Charles College Honoured as C.P.C.O. Principal of the Year
From April 21-23, the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario held their annual conference in Toronto and celebrated the 2015 Principal of the Year Awards. Patty Mardero, Principal of St. Charles College was one of the five chosen in the province to be honoured this year.
Principal of S.C.C. for the past 11 years, Mardero began her teaching career 28 years earlier in Renfrew County. The next several years saw her teaching, as a vice principal, and as a principal at several Sudbury Catholic elementary schools including St. Francis, Sacred Heart, St. Theresa, St. Charles Elementary and Marymount Academy. In 2004 she became the first female principal of the former all-boys’ secondary school – St. Charles College. According to the CPCO release. “Patty believes in the power of service and strives to promote this with her students. In her first year at St. Charles College, the school collected 25,000 cans for the Sudbury Food Bank. Now it collects more than 100,000 cans – the largest, single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank. The school also raises over $10,000 yearly for missions, and sponsors 8 children from third world countries.”
According to Mardero, she is “very humbled to be recognized by Catholic Principals’ Ontario for this award. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated principals and vice principals committed to making a difference in the lives of the students we serve. I thank the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for allowing me the opportunity to teach, lead and grow. I appreciate their support and faith in me over the past 26 years.”
“On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, I would like to say how proud we are of Patty Mardero,” Jody Cameron, Chair of the Board for the SCDSB stated. “She truly exemplifies a strong Catholic leader and we are so fortunate to have her in our schools supporting and mentoring our staff, as well as nurturing our students to be future leaders.”
Called to be Resilient Leaders at Sudbury Catholic
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board in conjunction with the Sudbury & District Health Unit is celebrating putting importance on partnerships and building strong relationships in education. Senior Administration, Principals, Vice-Principals Managers and several other leaders within the Sudbury Catholic Board and the Sudbury & District Health Unit gathered on April 8th, 2015 to participate in an interactive learning session featuring Dr. Wayne Hammond, of Resiliency Initiatives Canada. Dr. Hammond presented research-based information about Resiliency and a Strength-Based Approach. The presentation was very well received by all participants and will further the work of the Principal Learning Teams as they continue to examine their calling to “Be Resilient Leaders” in their schools.
That same evening Dr. Hammond also presented to an auditorium full of parents from the “soon to be” Holy Trinity Catholic School community. He shared his outline of a strength-based parenting approach that strengthens a child’s abilities to meet life’s challenges with thoughtfulness, confidence, purposefulness and empathy. Dr. Hammond believes that, “The real task of parenting is not to prepare the path for our children, rather to prepare them for the path that they will need to walk.”
Diana Salvador, Principal of St. Bernadette Catholic School and Principal appointed to Holy Trinity Catholic School said, “I look forward to working diligently at Holy Trinity Catholic School to put Dr. Hammond’s message into practice in partnership with the parent community to foster a trusting school culture where students, parents, teachers and all stakeholders feel valued, connected and engaged in their educational journey.”
SCC Concert Choir Shining Bright like Diamonds Again
The concert choir at St. Charles College can safely say they are the top secondary school choir in the city. More than twenty-five SCC students performed at the 70th annual Kiwanis Festival in Sudbury this week to take home diamond standing yet again. Under the direction of teacher Ms. Shannon Coyle, this is the second year in a row that the choir has scored 90 or above – securing a diamond title for St. Charles College. The group performed All of Me by John Legend and the title song from Mama Mia. On Monday, April 13th at 7 p.m., the concert choir will be performing its rendition of Mamma Mia at the Kiwanis Festival final concert and awards ceremony at St.Andrews Place. There, they will receive the top secondary school choir award.
Theyre coming to a door near you!
Students who attend St. Paul, St. John, St. David, St. Raphael, St. Andrew, Pius and St. Bernadette Catholic elementary schools are out in full force this week. Their mission is to collect cans for its food drive in collaboration with St. Charles College.
Students from the seven schools are going door-to-door to collect cans and other non-perishable food items to help the Sudbury Food Bank stock its shelves over the cold winter months.
Every year, the feeder schools team up with St. Charles College, Q92 and KISS 105.3 to Stuff a Bus full of food. The radio stations also broadcast live from the school parking lot during the week. The food is then transported to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.
Student can collect a combination of canned foods and cash. Last year, they surpassed their goal by collecting more than 112 thousand cans.
The food drive began more than 25 years ago and its founder, former student Jim Szilva still takes part in the drive with his former high school.
Totals will be tabulated, with a wrap-up set for October 23rd.
St. Charles College Educational Assistant Eileen Kennedy Wins SCDSB’s Annual Chairperson’s Award
Every year at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, nominations are sought for the Chairperson’s award. This award is given to a person or persons who makes outstanding contributions to the Catholic school system. The Board believes in the importance of recognizing employees who embrace Catholic values, demonstrates initiative and ingenuity, and contributes positively to the lives of students and staff. At the board’s annual retirement dinner, on June 11, 2014, Sudbury Catholic staff Eileen Kennedy was presented with this year’s award. Kennedy has been a deaf/blind intervenor for the board for the past 27 years working in both the elementary and secondary school level. Currently, Kennedy works with students at St. Charles College and was nominated by several of her school co-workers as well as board office staff. Jody Cameron, Chair of the Board, presented Kennedy with her award and spoke about Eileen’s contributions to the Sudbury Catholic community. “In her role as an intervenor, she constantly strives to find unique and fun ways to encourage these most challenged students to communicate. She researches best practices and activities that will help these students find success in the classroom,” Cameron stated. “She is dedicated to preserving and ensuring the dignity of her students, and her disposition and open-hearted kindness is admired by all who have had the pleasure of working with her.” Cameron cited many examples of how outstanding an educator Kennedy is, and thanked her for her selflessness, and dedication to the Sudbury Catholic students. A very humble person, upon receipt of the award, Kennedy was quick to explain that educating this group of students takes a real team effort. “Over the years, I have worked with some amazing Board administration and teachers,” Kennedy explained. “I would also like the trustees and administration of our board to know that our Intervenors and EAs have been envied all across the country. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at conferences in Winnipeg and Vancouver and have come to know that we are valued here more than anywhere. You respect our knowledge and experience and we truly appreciate that.” Kennedy described many of her experiences where she was able to positively connect with and engage the students as “this helps their world seem a little less overwhelming and more meaningful.” Kennedy closed her speech by expressing that she was honoured to be the first educational assistant to be chosen by the board for this award, and that she is happy to have the privilege of having a career all these years doing what she really loves, and that the award is “icing on the cake!”
St. Charles College Teacher’s Story Included in Book About Resilience
It takes a lot of courage to talk to those close to you about a life changing experience. It takes even more courage to share that story with the world. Patricia Demore, a Lifeskills teacher at St. Charles College has done just that. Included in a book by her former teacher’s college professor, Demore tells her story of growing up a sibling of a person with Down syndrome, and the profoundly positive experience as a result of this unique and wonderful relationship.
The inclusion of Demore’s story is a result of a voluntary assignment with teacher Warnie Richardson who, several years ago, asked his students, if they were comfortable to share stories of risk and resilience that they had experienced. According to Richardson, “(I) have collected personal narratives from 111 individual students, all of whom have individually noted, both in person and in writing, a profound willingness to see exposed and share a significantly challenging and sometimes deeply disturbing period in their lives.“ Richardson explains that this book is definitely for older audiences, as some of the recounted experiences are deeply disturbing and extremely personal. Collected as part of his research, this book delves into the idea that “To arrive at the happy may also require that you expend a little emotional energy sorting through the sad.”
Three months before she began teacher’s college, Demore’s sister Christine passed away, and she felt that this would be a wonderful opportunity to share her story about the trials and tribulations of growing up with a sister with Down’s syndrome, and the impactful life lessons that her time with Christine had taught her.
Growing up with an older sister with a disability, Demore definitely had some challenges. As a young student, she had much more responsibility than the average sibling as she often had to help out with the care and support of Christine. As well, social situations were sometimes very different for her, for example never having taken a yellow school bus, Demore had to ride the handi-transit with her sister during her schooling in order to ensure that Christine was safely accompanied to school each day. This kind of experience, when young, sometimes led to feelings of resentment, pressure and guilt.
Christine definitely inspired Demore positively as she has chosen a career path that has her working directly with students with special needs at St. Charles College. According to Demore, growing up her parents continually told her that she, ”would be a better person for having had a sibling like Christine in (her) life, which proved to be very true.” Losing her so close to her start at teacher’s college, Demore knew that she wanted to share her story, and that it is “because of Christine’s direct impact on my life, I have grown up to be a passionate, service-minded adult who desperately wants to make a difference in the lives of others…”
Author Richardson let his former students know that his book entitled, “Silk Purses, Recast Dies, and Peripatetic Apples – Narratives of Risk and Resilience from within the Academy” was finally published and that their stories had been selected for inclusion. Demore was thrilled and honoured to have her story be a part of this collection of inspirational experiences and personal accounts. Even though growing up and living with a big sister with special needs wasn’t always “clear, unobstructed sailing”, Demore knew that Christine was truly her inspiration in life. Losing her just before teacher’s college, she knew she wanted to share her story despite her own emotional turmoil. Christine’s ability to face obstacles head on, and continue through her life with a positive attitude and continuous good nature has ultimately directed Demore down her chosen path in life. “ It is without doubt why I have chosen teaching as a career, and, more specifically, “special education” as my primary focus within that teaching career…. She will forever be my guardian angel and it is because of her that I now live each day to the fullest. I am thankful that Warnie allowed me the opportunity to share my story and celebrate my sister’s life with others.”