The annual Toy Drive at St. Benedict has concluded and they are happy to announce that they collected 859 toys and over $180.00 to be donated to the TD Bank Toy Caravan. These will in turn be given to the Salvation Army who will ensure that all those families will have a good Christmas.
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Secondary Student Leaders Participate in Equity Workshops
From October 21 to October 24, guest speakers from the Harmony Movement group held workshops for student leaders from all of our secondary schools to talk about diversity and equity in the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
Biju Pappachan and Caitlin Wood led the 40 students through many activities and discussions about such topics as bullying, racism and sexism. The students were engaged as they examined issues surrounding stereotypes and prejudice and to hear about how many biased images bombard us regularly in the media.
“It’s changed my perspective on how to look at different people of different genders and races,” said St. Benedict student Laura Rinaldi.
The students gained a much deeper appreciation for the privileges that they enjoy in our society, whether it’s gender, socioeconomic status, culture or in other ways. It made them more empathetic toward those who don’t necessarily wake up with the same abilities. They were taught that with privilege comes the responsibility to make our world more equitable through examples of student leadership like the pink shirt day anti-bullying movement.
The students who attended the workshops now feel empowered to go back to their schools and work to make their peers more aware of some of the issues that were discussed.
St. Benedict student Breana Mastroianni said, “I really learned how to stand up and take a stand againstt discrimination.”
Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Rossella Bagnato, explained the importance of initiatives like this one. “We can’t predict the future but we can help shape it and a good place to start is with the students. The Harmony Movement and the equity workshop have provided us with a great starting point.”
Congratulations to these future leaders and we look forward to being a part of what you bring back to our schools.
You Never Know Who You Will Meet Out on a Run!
Grade 12 St. Benedict Catholic Secondary student, Nicholas Ryma met a pretty important person on a run recently. While jogging on September 26 from Science North to the Canoe Club and back, Ryma met Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne who was in town on business and is herself an avid runner.
St. Charles College To Host University Information Program
St. Charles College will host representatives from all of 21 of Ontario’s universities on Thursday, October 2, 2014 from 7:00 – 9:00pm. The University Information Program (UIP) is free and all secondary school students and their parents/guardians are welcome to attend.
Students who are considering university will be able to speak to university representatives and learn more about different admission requirements, scholarships, residence the application process, campus life and much more. The University Information Program is designed to help graduating students make an informed decision before they apply to universities in January 2015.
“We are proud to offer this information program for students and parents in our community,” says St. Charles College Program Lead of Guidance Silvia Faggioni. “ It is important that students make informed decisions regarding their future. This is a perfect opportunity to explore universities across Ontario, meet representatives and ask questions – all while not having to leave Sudbury.”
At this event, students and their parents/guardians will be able to attend three 30-minute university presentations. A question and answer period will follow. After the presentations, students will be able to visit all Ontario university representatives for the remainder of the evening.
Sowing the Seeds of Friendship
Students from the grade 4/5 class at Holy Cross along with the the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) class at St.Benedict’s got together recently and did some planting. Together they sowed some seeds and established some friendships in the process!
SCDSB Award Winning Authors
Three students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board have been selected as winners of the Young Authors Award through the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Ethan Matte, a student at Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary Award won for his non-fiction submission entitled “The Art of Fishing”. In the secondary panel, St. Benedict student Nikki Lemieux won for her non-fiction submission entitled “Consumer or Consumed”. The final winner is Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School student Shanleigh Brosseau for her short story submission entitled “La Couleur D’Amour”. Her short story “La couleur d’amour” was inspired by the approaching celebration of St. Valentine. Shanleigh enjoys writing in her spare time, especially “chapter books” on her IPhone. Her enthousiasm of music and writing is what pushed her to create a very metaphorical short story of a broken heart pendant.
All three award winning submissions can be found in this year’s OECTA Young Authors Awards 2014.
Congratulations to all three students for your outstanding writing pieces and we look forward to reading future works!
Second Annual Cubs and Bears Junior Co-ed Soccer Tournament Results
On June 15, 2014, Holy Cross Catholic Elementary and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary Schools hosted the second annual Cubs and Bears Junior Co-ed soccer tournament. Participating were 15 teams from 3 different schools boards – the English and French Catholic boards as well as the French Public.
The top 4 teams are as follows: 1st place Jean-Paul 2 2nd place Holy Cross 6
3rd plac St. John 4th place Holy Cross 5
Congratulations to all the teams, students and coaches for a job well done!
Thank you to all the volunteers and staff that co-ordinated the tournament, and helped to make it such a success!
Bears Soccer Finish 4th in Ontario
The St. Benedict Bears Sr. Boys Soccer team finished 4th at OFSAA in London, Ontario (June 5-7, 2014). This is the second straight final 4 appearance for the team at the provincial championships. The squad won their round-robin pool with a perfect 3-0 record. The squad then won the quarter-final 3-1 over Port Hope. Unfortunately, the Bears would fall 2-0 to Glegarry SS from Ottawa in the semi-final, who eventually went onto win the gold medal. The Bears lost a close 2-1 match to Ridley College from St. Catharines in the consolation game. The team finished with it’s best results in program history and a season record of 13-2 (only losing on the final day of the season). Coaches were Giuseppe Politi, Giorgio Urso, and Aaron Dent. The squad members include: Brad Mansfield, Brandon Moxam, Cody Boyle, Cody Nkongolo, Cody Piche, Connor Vande Weghe, Curtis Carpino, Elliot Swan, Jon Zanini, Josh Rancourt, Matthew Bertuzzi, Nathan Shane, Nick Filippetto, Nick Hechler, Rudy Giusti, Ryan Keenan, Ryan Phillips, Shawn Wilcox, Josh Girolametto, David Portelance, and JC Carriere.
St. Benedict Graduate Now a Published Author
St. Benedict graduate, Michaela Smet is now a published author. Available through Friesen Press, Smet’s novel, Promise, tells the story of a girl who has big ambitions and overcomes many obstacles to keep a promise to herself for a better life. According to the website, Smet’s desire to become an author “stems from her passion for writing and a desire to share her dreams and memories. She is currently dividing her time between writing and completing a degree in Architecture.”
St. Benedict Off to OFFSA
After a 1st place finish in the Sudbury regular season and a playoff city championship in Sudbury (8-0), the St. Benedict Bears Senior Boys Soccer team beat Chippewa Secondary School (of North Bay) 4-0 on Friday afternoon in North Bay. The squad remains a perfect 9-0-0, with 29 goals for and 1 againstt. The Bears beat the Raiders by a score of 4-0, with goals by Shawn Wilcox (3) and Josh Rancourt (1). The shutout was recorded by Connor Vande Weghe. With the win, the squad returns to OFSAA (hosted in London this year on June 4-7) where it earned a 4th place finish last year.