On a chilly Monday morning, the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Photography club headed out to shoot some pictures in the local neighbourhoods. Teacher Angela Hodgins and chaplain Rob Pappin led the students on a walk about the Mallard’s landing area and captured many stunning images of the beauty of an Autumn morning. The photography club is a newer club in the school and students and staff are excited to display some of their work. They also work closely with the year book club to capture the various sports and other activities that are happening at the school. The club is open to all students and new members are always welcome.
Category: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
A Beary Scary Halloween
On October 31’st 2013, students from St Benedict Catholic Secondary School visited Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School. Student Council president Brendan Sullivan, vice president and student trustee Mackenzie Connelly, and beloved mascot, Benny the Bear represented St Benedict as they read to grade 1 and 2 students in both English and french. “We thought this would be a great opportunity to bond with the students who share our campus and spread some Halloween cheer,” said Connelly.
After reading the books, Benny and the students donated them to Holy Cross and gave out Halloween stickers and high fives from Benny. “This experience has been very rewarding for us. We were able to practice our bilingualism and meet the students who will become future Bears,” stated Sullivan. “I look forward to continuing to connect our two school communities.”
St. Charles College Hosts University Information Program – October 10
St. Charles College will host representatives from all of 21 of Ontario’s universities on Thursday, October 10, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. 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 2014.
“ 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.
St. Benedict Student Receives the Craig T. Noble Award
On June 19, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School student Katelyn Ruff was presented with the Craig T. Noble award from ICAN (Independence Centre and Network) Sudbury. Ruff, a student in the lifeskills class was born with a condition called Tetra X Syndrome which is a rare chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of four X chromosomes instead of two X chromosomes. This often results in learning difficulties, joint problems and emotional stress. Ruff has had a number of surgeries over the years and often experiences pain. According to her teacher, Pam Colasimone, Katelyn works very, very hard every day to overcome her physical challenges. At school she is quite independent and extremely helpful towards her peers.
Nominated for the award by her teacher, Katelyn received the Craig T. Noble award in front of a group of her friends, classmates, staff and ICAN representatives. The Craig T. Noble award is named after a twelve year old student – Craig Noble – who was one of the first participants in the ICAN afterschool program. Noble began the program a shy, quiet student and very quickly became a confident role model for the other participants. In 2006, at 15 years old, Noble passed away, and the Craig T. Noble award was established to support youth with physical disabilities to reach their goals of independence. The award is given every year to a teen who demonstrates similar qualities to Craig; an ambition to be independent, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic towards independence, an involvement in the community and record of volunteering and has set goals for independence.
Marie Leon, C.E.O. of ICAN presented the award to Katelyn and described her as a “friend, daughter, student, classmate and a very special person who is willing to help her friends and teachers.” Leon told the group she was proud to know Katelyn.
Colasimone echoed Leon’s comments and described Katelyn as a wonderful student and friend and is involved in a number of extra-curricular activities including taekwondo and swimming.
Upon receiving the award, Katelyn was visibly moved and very quietly thanked the group and ICAN for giving her this award.
St. Benedict CSS Sr. Boys Soccer finishes 4th at OFSAA
St. Benedict Bears Senior Boys Soccer Team completed a fantastic season June 6 – 8 at the OFSAA “A” Championships in Timmins, Ontario. After an undefeated season locally in Sudbury (winning the “A” division city championship), St. Benedict won NOSSA versus Franco Cite in convincing fashion on May 31st. At OFSAA, St. Benedict posted a round robin record of 2 wins and 2 ties, good for 1st place in Group A. In the Quarter-Finals, St. Benedict defeated Glengarry Secondary School 4-2 on goals from Shawn Wilcox (with 3) and Brandon Moxam (1). Unfortunately, the undefeated season came to a halt in the semi-final (Saturday morning) versus private school Ridley College from St. Catharines. Battered and bruised, the Bears dropped a 4-0 decision to their opponents. In the bronze medal game (with numerous players injured and/or in different positions), the Bears lost a tight 2-1 decision to London Christian private school. The Bears finished their 2013 season with a record of 11 wins, 2 losses (only on the last day of the season), and 4 ties – good enough for a 4th overall ranking in the province of Ontario. This is the greatest result for boys soccer in school history. St. Benedict teacher and coach Giuseppe Politi stated, “All in all, it was a positive result for the team, the program, the school, and the city. If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that we would finish top 4 in Ontario I certainly would been ecstatic. Looking back, in the group stage we ran into some trouble finishing off opponents (gave up a few leads). This didn’t let our starters get the rest they needed to last through 3 days of intense competition (7 games total). In the end, it caught up to us on Saturday morning. We just didn’t have the gas or capacity to keep up to more-balanced and fresh opponents in Ridley College (St. Catharines) or London Christian. Both George Urso (co-coach) and I are extremely proud of this squad and its accomplishments this season. We certainly overachieved in the group stage (considering the number of competitive players we have on our team, compared to the other teams at the tournament). A lot of our students played beyond their means and that should be recognized. It’s a bit frustrating to know that we could have won the bronze if we were a bit more fresh. That said, the boys should be proud of what they’ve accomplished (best result in school history) and it was a great student-athlete experience for the entire team. Hopefully, we’ll get another opportunity to showcase our program at next year’s championships.”
St. Benedict Visits the “Big Apple”
Thirty-two of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School’s best and brightest business studies students recently travelled to New York City for a 5-day field trip from May 15-19. Among the activities, students experienced a trading simulation on Wall St. in front of the New York Stock Exchange, while also visiting the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and taking a full harbour cruise. Students were able to experience a myriad of business concepts in a real-world setting: from professional sports marketing (New York Yankees Game); to the entertainment industry (Broadway Show); to retail marketing (5th Avenue / Times Square); to corporate social responsibility (Central Park). The travel group also made a special visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral as well as the 9/11 memorial (Ground Zero). Chaperones included Vice-Principal Stephanie Van Druenen and teachers Giuseppe Politi (Business Studies Teacher) and Gino Posteraro.
Soccer Opportunities at St. Benedict
A group of grade 10 students enroled in the school’s soccer focus class from St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School recently had the opportunity to watch a professional match between Toronto FC and Montreal Impact at BMO field in downtown Toronto. Students at St. Benedict can register for this phys-ed soccer-focused course to learn and experience the various aspects of soccer – from playing, to training, to coaching, to refereeing, to nutrition, to strategy, and so on. In the photo, soccer class students with teacher and “A” license coach, Giuseppe Politi, pose at the entrance gate of the stadium.
St. Benedict Open House – Tonight
Attention all grade 6 and grade 7 students! St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School is hosting an open house next Thursday, April 4th, from 6:30 to 8:30. Students are invited to come out to explore the school, meet the teachers and some students, and consider your options as you enter grade 7 or grade 8. There will be prizes and giveaways to all those who attend. St. Ben’s staff is looking forward to seeing you tonight!
French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario Visits St. Benedict
On Wednesday, March 20th, all Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Franco-Fun day, which is a day dedicated to celebrating French language and culture. As part of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School’s Franco-Fun Day activities, grade 11 and 12 French Immersion students were honoured to welcome Francois Boileau, the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario to their school. Francois Boileau is currently pursuing his third mandate as the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario and his role is to receive complaints from members of the public and present recommendations regarding the application of the French Language Services Act. Currently, Mr. Boileau reports directly to the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, and has the power to make recommendations on matters pertaining to the application of the French Language Services Act. Since his appointment, Commissioner Boileau has worked diligently to improve the quality of French-language services in Ontario, and to ensure its full development and preserve its culture.
Introducing Mr. Boileau to the students was Sudbury Catholic consultant Lianne Perreault-Raymond, who was thrilled about the opportunity for the students to interact with the Commissioner. “It was wonderful to see our French Immersion (F.I.) students participating in an open discussion with M. Boileau, completely in French. We were honoured that he recognized both the students and staff for speaking the language so fluently, and he encouraged them to continue their journey even after leaving high school,” Perreault-Raymond stated. “I was very proud of our students, as well as the teaching staff, as they demonstrated such skill and confidence during the entire discussion, which is strong evidence that our French Immersion program is very successful!”
The students spoke with the Commissioner for approximately an hour, and discussed the importance of carrying on with the language after graduation, as well as how French can play a great role in one’s career and contribute to personal and cultural growth. “To take on a new language, is to take on new thinking,” Boileau told the students. “To take on new thinking is to take on a new world and new possibilities!”
Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the board echoed Mr. Boileau’s sentiments. “We are so honoured that Commissioner Boileau spoke to our students about the importance of bilingualism in today’s society as part of the board’s Franco-fun day,” McCullough said. “At Sudbury Catholic, we recognize that French language skills can certainly improve a student’s career options later on in life and the Commissioner’s visit reinforced this message for the students.”
ST. BENEDICT ALUMNI CHALLENGE SENIOR BASKETBALL TEAMS IN THRILLING DISPLAY OF SCHOOL HISTORY
On February 20th, St. Benedict C.S.S. hosted an ‘Alumni vs. Student’ Basketball Game in conjunction with the St. Benedict Alumni Association to raise awareness and funds for an upcoming Reunion event in 2015. The basketball event was also a way to celebrate the success of past graduates and the rich 20 year history of the school. The school’s very first reunion will commemorate the first 20 years of graduates from its initial graduating class of 1999/2000, to those graduating in 2010.
The proceeds of this buyout event for the students went to the St. Benedict Alumni Association, who is working with the school and various individuals throughout the community, to organize a number of fundraising events over the next few years in anticipation of the upcoming reunion. With a final score of 58 to 36, fans were on the edge of their seats from start to finish. After the game, the alumni took time to speak with the current generation of students and staff about their experiences at St. Benedict C.S.S., their ambitions after graduating, and their chosen career paths and goals.
The mission of the St. Benedict Alumni Association is to promote a strong relationship between alumni and the school, to promote a sense of pride among alumni and current students, as well as establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with other alumni, students, and the community.
They are working diligently on many upcoming events and are looking for volunteers, donations, and sponsors. If you wish to participate, “Like” them on Facebook at Facebook.com/stbenedictcssalumni or e-mail st.benedict.reunion@hotmail.com.