Grade 10 Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S. student Julia Parenteau has been appointed as the newest Sudbury Catholic District School Board Student Trustee for the 2023-2025 terms. The appointment took place at the April 18, 2023 Board meeting. Julia will join fellow Student Trustee Catena Hayden beginning August 1, 2023.
Julia is a devoted leader both on her school’s Student Council and on the Student Senate. Seen as an active member of the community, Julia spends much of her time volunteering at her local church and serving as a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Committee. She has also devoted time to serving food to veterans and their families and volunteering at various events for the Maison Sudbury Hospice.
Julia is strong advocate for student voice and believes it is a necessary for student development and growth. She hopes to bring more attention to mental health and well-being within schools and create resources to help students and school environments navigate appropriate solutions.
“I believe it’s important for students to be involved in their education because, with an absence of involvement, their lives and our school communities would lack growth. When a student is involved in their education, they ask questions and make a point to self-assess their progress and attitude towards school. It’s these kinds of students who not only better themselves but also their school environment because they set examples and show good habits that other students may feel they need to pick up on,” said Julia Parenteau.
“Julia is a passionate and dedicated individual. Her commitment to bettering our school system and helping her fellow students is inspring not only to her peers but to us as well. We look forward to working alongside her, as we continue to champion Student Voice at the Board table ,” said Michael Bellmore, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
St. Charles College students Parker Tilbury, Kyle Nyereyemhuka and Brady VanDruenen all placed first in the Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition held at Canadore College on April 1, 2023.
Parker took home gold in the Individual Carpentry competition while Kyle and Brady wrote, filmed, and produced an innovating short film on climate change which earned them the gold medal in the TV/Video Production category.
“There were some requirements before heading to Canadore. We had to do a storyboard, a production brief, and a script. We came prepared, were dead set to win and we really wanted to move onto Toronto. Overall, we’re really proud of our efforts” said Brady VanDruenen, St. Charles College Student.
“After two years of virtual competitions, it feels good to compete in person! We’re excited to meet the other students involved and excel at the Provincial level next month,” said Kyle Nyereyemhuka, St. Charles College Student.
Teacher mentors Chris Kohut (Construction SHSM Teacher) and Christina Thompson (Digital Media SHSM Teacher) are very proud and excited to see their students compete at the next stage.
“It was great watching Parker apply his skills and knowledge throughout the competition. Winning the gold in North Bay has made him even more focused on his goal to reach the podium in Toronto, and after that, maybe even the National competition. We’re very proud of his efforts so far and can’t wait to see what he accomplishes!” said Chris Kohut, Construction SHSM Teacher at St. Charles College.
The students will next compete against the best in Ontario at the upcoming Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions. A total of 13 secondary students from St. Charles College and 2 students from Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S will represent the Sudbury Catholic District School Board at the Toronto Congress Centre from May 1 –
3, 2023. Contests will include Carpentry, TV/Video Production, Graphic Design, Auto Service Technology and Photography. Participating students will have an opportunity to win medals, be awarded with scholarships and bursaries, and qualify for the National Skills Competition in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Kyle Nyereyemhuka (left) and Brady VanDruenen (right) with SCC Teacher Mentor Christina Thompson (middle).Parker Tilbury competed in the carpentry competition.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board held their annual Science Fair on February 28, 2023, at St. Charles College. The fair was open to Grade 7 and 8 students.
The winners of this year’s Science Fair were as follows:
First Place/Best in Fair
Indoor Air Quality, Victoria Leigh, Marymount Academy
Do Different Music genres effect reading? Lila Ricker, Marymount Academy
Second Place
La Chaleur Contre le sol, Mila Kidd and Ayla Falcioni, Marymount Academy
Third Place
Klean Machine, Olaterere Awosika, St. Benedict C.S.S
EZ-Drain, Thomas Reich and Costantinos Urso, St. Benedict C.S.S
Sèche mains germé, Leah Serre et Paytyn Farmer, Marymount Academy
La croissance des plantes, Samantha Chow, Marymount Academy
Reveillez-vous, Leah Diotte, Marymount Academy
Most Creative
Steer Clear: The Breakaway Steering Wheel, Maggie Polischuk, Marymount Academy
Lequel est moin sale? Aven Thompson, Marymount Academy
Lumière sans électricité: Ampoule bouteille solaire, Megan Leclair, Marymount AcademySont les masques nos ennemis? Abigail Debruyn, Marymount Academy
15 minutes de cardio, Kiana Smith et Fae Flanagan, Marymount Academy
Best Presentation
Can climate change ruin our ski hills for good? Annabelle Richardson et Isabella Palladino, Marymount Academy
Spherification, Lua Schiewek and Louisse Apilan, Marymount Academy
Tok Tok: Germes sur les portes… Mia Dufresne, Marymount Academy
All projects listed above will proceed to the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 1 and 2, 2023 at Laurentian University.
Louise Franklin, Superintendent of School Effectiveness with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board said that the Fair was a fantastic way to encourage students to participate in science-based activities on a large scale.
“Our Science Fair offers students the opportunity to participate in a formal judging process alongside their peers. With an emphasis on innovation and scientific inquiry, the Science Fair allows students to develop projects through critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. A great deal of time and commitment went into these projects and all students should be extremely proud of their efforts. We would like to thank the members of the Science Fair Committee, Chris Polischuk, Martha Facchini, and Loretta Cuda, for their dedication to providing such opportunities for students at Sudbury Catholic. We are excited to see what the selected students will accomplish at the Regional Science Fair,” she said.
We thank our Board of Trustees, Senior Administration, staff, students, families, volunteers, community partners, and our parishes for their continued support and commitment to Sudbury Catholic. Together we are providing a caring, progressive, high quality Catholic school system that is nurturing our students – mind, body, and spirit.
Starting Nov. 1st, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be looking for submissions for our annual Christmas card artwork contest.
Year after year, we have the pleasure of seeing the creativity and imagination of our students flourish through this annual tradition and we are excited to see what beautiful artwork 2022 will bring forward.
Submissions will be accepted until November 18, 2022 at 4:30 p.m.
Staff and students at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board raised $1,923.10 to support the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee. Leaves of Change: Binaakwe Giizis is a fundraiser which took place on October 14, 2022, to promote environmental stewardship.
The goal of the fundraiser is to engage in civic and environmental responsibility by bringing attention to climate change and better understand how we can protect the earth for future generations. Throughout the day and the month of October, students and staff are encouraged to make more sustainable efforts. This includes cleaning green spaces by picking up trash and litter, recycling, using a reusable water bottle and reducing day to day waste, where possible.
In addition, October is known as Binaakwe Giizis – Moon of Falling Leaves. The fundraiser also served as an educational opportunity to understand, acknowledge, and respect Indigenous perspectives on caring for Mother Earth (Shkagamik Kwe).
“As a school board, it is our responsibility to create opportunities that teach the importance of protecting the earth for future generations.Environmental degradation affects the health and well-being of all peoples of North America and the world in many ways. By participating in this fundraiser, and the many planned activities, we help our community engage in volunteerism and create hope through environmental restoration,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
The Sudbury Regional Science Fair, which took place virtually during March 21st – April 3rd, 2022, is a meaningful learning experience where Sudbury’s four School Boards, can provide opportunities to students from Grades 7-12 to show case their knowledge in different areas of science. Sudbury Catholic District School Board was grateful to participate once again in the Regional Science Fair and allow our students to enjoy hands-on learning experiences by extending their discovery in biology, chemistry, technology, and other areas.
This year approximately 15 projects represented the Board in the Regional Science Fair. The number of project topics was diverse again this year, with exciting subjects ranging from “Theoretical Gravity Control”, “Hacking an Air-Gapped Computer”, Creating a “Self-Hitting Hammer,” and more. We want to thank our judges and educators for guiding our students and continually finding new opportunities for hands-on learning and growth.
MMA Student, Kate Bouchard – 2022 Best In Fair Winner!
Following the Fair, Sudbury Catholic Schools, students, and families were invited to attend a virtual celebration organized by the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 10th, 2022. This virtual celebration highlighted the winners of divisional awards, special awards and celebrated students’ achievements. At this celebration, we are pleased to announce that Sudbury Catholic students collected ten awards, including Best of Fair which was presented to Kate Bouchard, a student from Marymount Academy for her project, “Go With The Flow“. We are also thrilled to announce that in addition to Kate’s amazing project , 4 other projects submitted by SCDSB Students have also been selected to advance to the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) taking place on May 16th, 2022, in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The students and projects that will advance to the Canada Wide Science Fair include the following:
“Each year, our students present unique and creative science fair projects. This year was certainly no exception,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “We are very excited to see the number of participants continue to grow, and we are proud of our students who represented us incredibly well again. We thank our judges and our educators for guiding students and continually finding new opportunities for hands-on learning and growth. We wish the students who are moving on to the 2022 Canada-Wide Science Fair the best of luck!”
“Science Fair was so much fun, and I think it’s because I was passionate about my topic.” Says Best in Fair Winner and CWSF participant, Kate Bouchard. “I chose something that I was interested in and genuinely wanted to learn more about. It helped me be more engaged, and because I was interested in what I was learning, I felt like I could explain it better and put forth more effort in making it better. I am really looking forward to be a part of the CWSF in May!”
Some of MMA’s Regional Science Fair students stop and smile with their regional science fair medals! (Middle left Best in Fair Winner – Kate Bouchard)
Dylan Nelson, a Grade 8 student from St. Benedict, will also be attending the Canada Wide Science Fair with his unique project where he created a Self-Hitting Hammer. This idea was inspired by his passion for building things and from wanting to help his grandmother.
“I was trying to think of something inventive to do. I wanted to create something new, and I realized that I like building things, so I wanted to make a new type of hammer that would allow someone who cannot hammer a nail with a normal hammer still perform that task. My experience was fun because I spent time with grandpa, who helped me construct it, and I was able to make my project about making something that would help my grandma.”
Pictured is St. Benedict Student and Regional Science Fair Honouree Dylan accepting his award from the SCDSB Director of Education, Joanne Bénard and Principal of St. Benedict, Laura Kuzenko.
Overall, we are pleased to celebrate the contributions and participation of all our schools and students in this meaningful learning opportunity. We would like to end our post by congratulating all students, educators, and schools on their participation and effort in making the 2022 Science Fair a success! The ten project winners included projects from Marymount Academy, projects from St. Benedict and one project from St. Charles College.
Please visit the following link below to view all the wonderful projects brought forward by Sudbury Catholic Students this year.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Catena Hayden as a Student Trustee for the 2022-2024 term. Catena is a Grade 10 student at Marymount Academy and joins her fellow Student Trustee Jack Gouchie. Together, they will bring forward student voice at the Board table.
Catena is an active community member at Marymount Academy. Since 2018, Catena has been a member of the Student Administrative Council (SAC) and enjoys collaborating with her peers and teachers to organize spirit days and fundraisers to enhance the educational experience for all. She is passionate about helping others and wants to make a difference in her community by inspiring students to get involved in intiatives that deepen their learning and demonstrate service to others. This past year, Catena joined the Sudbury Catholic Student Senate to connect with fellow secondary students in SCDSB’s four secondary schools to help promote campaigns such as Toonies for Tuition, Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, and the Can Tab Drive. Catena is eager to represent the voice of students at the board table.
In addition to being a devoted student and committed to academic excellence, she is also proud to be in the French Immersion Program and appreciates diverse cultures. Upon her secondary graduation, she aspires to become an aerospace engineer and will start completing the Architecture and Engineering Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) offered through Marymount Academy in the Fall 2022.
While away from school, Catena practices her faith as an active member of her Catholic Community at Our Lady of Hope Parish. In addition, Catena volunteers her time to help causes, like the fundraiser for Ukraine at Immaculate Conception.
“I am honoured that I was selected to serve as Student Trustee for the next two years. I am excited to use this opportunity to grow as a leader, share my ideas, and help represent students from all Sudbury Catholic schools at the Board table.” – Catena Hayden, Student Trustee.
“Sudbury Catholic District School Board welcomes Catena Haden as our second Student Trustee,” said Michael Bellmore, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Catena is an exceptional student and has demonstrated an impressive commitment to her school and community. We have great faith she will make all voices heard and look forward to her many contributions throughout her term at the Board table.“
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board was invited, along with other partners in education across the province, to take a stand on Thursday, March 10, 2022, as “#StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day”. On this day, students and staff were encouraged to wear blue and yellow clothing and, where possible, donate a toonie to the “Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.”
We were grateful we could join together as a Board and take a united stance with our colleagues and students across the province by sharing our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this ongoing tragedy. We began our day by coming together in a system-wide prayer for peace. Together, we prayed for those impacted by this invasion and for a quick resolution to the conflicts, destruction, and deaths being experienced by the people of Ukraine. We prayed for peace, and we prayed for God’s love to shine through and touch the hearts of everyone on this earth. We invite you to continue to pray with us by using our system-wide prayer.
In addition to participating in the province-wide blue and yellow day, Sudbury Catholic students, staff, and families have actively created ways to support and stand with Ukraine. Schools have hopped right in to provide support by developing fundraisers, participating in various awareness activities, inciting prayer, etc. We are proud to take this time to highlight a sample of some of the different types of actions completed by members of our community.
Secondary Highlights
St. Benedict
Students in the learning support program at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, created Ukrainian themed keychains. After completing their keychains, these gifts were hand-delivered to members of their community.
In addition to creating Ukrainian themed keychains, St. Benedict chose to #StandWithUkraine by hosting a blue and yellow dress-down day on March 9, 2022. On this day, they managed to raise $2600 to support Ukrainian Humanitarian Efforts. We want to provide a special shout-out to the student council who originally came up with the idea of this day and members of faculty, including Joanne Burke, James MacNeil and Megan McMillan, who helped organize this effort. Fantastic job, Bears!
MMA faculty wear blue and yellow in support of Ukraine!
MMA regals wore blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, and thanks to the donations, the school raised $500 as a school community. Classes also created blue and yellow cranes to show their support.
Bishop Alexander Carter
In addition to having a dress-down day for students and staff at Bishop Alexander Carter, their school community raised donations by offering pizza concessions to help further their actions and raise even more proceeds to stand with Ukraine. All proceeds from these fundraising efforts will be donated to #HELPUKRAINENOW.
St. Charles College
Cardinals swapped their red uniform to participate in Thursday’s blue and yellow day. In addition to showing support through their clothing, students in Ms. Dzuirban’s class created a beautiful poster supporting the people of Ukraine!
Elementary Highlights
St. Paul
St. Paul Students take time to snap a shot during #StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day!
St. Charles
St. Francis
Students and staff at St. Francis School had a Canada Day-themed spirit day. They thought it was imperative to highlight that they stand with Ukraine as Canadians and as St. Francis Flames. Together as a school community, they jointly raised $408.00 for the families of Ukraine.
St. John
In addition to wearing blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, St. John School ran a “Popcorn for Peace” campaign from March 7 – March 10. With a goal in mind to raise $1000.00, their school community quickly jumped up, or should we say “popped up,” to meet the challenge. Offering popcorn sacks for a minimum donation of $2.00 per bag, their school community amazingly raised $1250.00 in just four days. The only thing that makes this news better is seeing so many smiling faces. Knowing this money is being donated to St. Mary’s Catholic Ukraine Church to help Ukrainian people makes us smile as well. Go, Jaguars, go!!
Students in St. John’s English FDK class created blue and yellow flags in honour of the people in Ukraine. They learned that different flags represent different places in the world and that right now, the Ukrainian flag is a symbol of people who need our prayers.
Holy Trinity
Students at Holy Trinity showed their support for friends in Ukraine during Winter Fun Day on March 10. Ms. Skelly’s class made a fantastic sign in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A donation jar was also created in blue and yellow, resulting in a $331 donation generously brought forward by various students, staff and parents at Holy Trinty. Good job Redbirds!
Holy Cross
Holy Cross has been very busy. Grade 6 students Abigail and Sara approached the school with what they could do to help and support Ukraine, and together they put their heads together and decided that they would be able to help by constructing and selling blue and yellow hand-made bracelets and pins for their school community. This not only provided a way to raise money for donations to the cause, but it was also a visible way for Holy Cross School to stand in support of the people of Ukraine.
“I really wanted to help the people of Ukraine, and making pins and bracelets is one of the ways I knew I could help”. – Abigail Debruyn, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross
After countless hours of hard work, Abby and Sara’s beautiful bracelets and pins were up for grabs, and their fellow students were quick to swipe them. Both staff and students eagerly lined up in the front-hall entrance to make their donations. The girls also passed around the school at lunchtime to ensure everyone had an opportunity to donate and recieve a pin or bracelet. Thanks to the efforts of these extraordinary young leaders, Abby and Sarah were able to raise $2252.05 that will be donated to St. Mary’s parish, who will, in turn, donate the money to humanitarian efforts.
“I want to help in any way I can because it is the right thing to do”. – Sara Wolski, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross
In addition to Sara and Abby, students at the school continued to support the Ukraine campaign by baking and decorating cookies. The cookies were sold door to door and allowed the school to raise an additional $450 to support Ukraine. Holy Cross would like to thank everyone who took the time to generously donate.
We all have a responsibility for peace!
At Sudbury Catholic District School Board, we follow and promote the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. The Ontario Catholic School Graduate is a responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life. This involves acting morally and legally as a person formed in Catholic traditions, witnessing Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society, and respecting and affirming the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures.
There have been countless examples of how different communities exhibit this expectation and stand with the people of Ukraine during this time of need. It is our sincere hope that by highlighting some examples of how our schools have supported Ukraine, we can continue to work together as responsible citizens on this earth and inspire others to stand in solidarity to end the violence and suffering of the people of Ukraine.
Upon its completion, St. Charles College students proudly showed off their Stand With Ukraine poster.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Jack Gouchie as a Student Trustee for the 2021-2023 terms. Jack is currently a Grade 10 student at St. Charles College. He will join fellow Student Trustee Kylie MacGregor in September 2021 and represent student voice at the Board table.
Prior to St.Charles College, Jack attended St. Andrew Catholic School and Holy Trinity Catholic School. Throughout the years, he has participated in a variety of extra-curricular activities. He has been a part of various sports teams including basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, curling and badminton. He also serves on student council, he was an active member of the elementary band and has participated in multiple St. Charles College canned food drives.
Outside of school, Jack also participates in hockey, baseball and lacrosse and is currently a Grade 6 Piano and Grade 7 Theory student with the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is an active member of St. Andrew’s parish and assists as an altar server. He hopes to pursue a career in sports administration in the future.
“I am thankful to have been given the opportunity as Student Trustee. It is through my experiences with the Board that I have met a variety of students from different schools. This has sparked my interest in advocating for students and becoming more involved in student governance. I hope to be a strong and influential voice for the Sudbury Catholic student body,” said Jack Gouchie, appointed Student Trustee.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is our pleasure to welcome Jack to the role of Student Trustee. He is an active member of the St.Charles College community and has a true passion for student involvement,” said Michael Bellmore, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “We look forward to having him sit at the Board table in September along with fellow Student Trustee Kylie MacGregor.”
