The month of December ushers in the season of Advent. For Catholics, Advent (which comes from the Latin word meaning “coming”), is a most sacred time as we await the birth of Jesus, our Lord. It is a joyous time of preparation. It is a season of love and of giving and at STL, there is no shortage of opportunities to give. In that spirit of giving and spirit of hope, STL adopted 15 families this Christmas for whom we are preparing Christmas baskets. As well, we are in the midst of our canned food drive, affectionately known as Operation St. Nick. I want to sincerely thank all the students, staff, and parents who continue to generously donate to both causes, thereby making it a joyous and merry Christmas for many.
There are merely 6 weeks to go before final exams and the end of first semester. It has been a very busy semester: our students continue to be actively engaged in the classroom and in the extracurricular life of the school. Our Academic Awards Ceremony was awe-inspiring. Over 750 students were awarded subject awards and/or received honor roll for their outstanding academic achievements in the 2018/2019 school year. Each of the 3 ceremonies was extremely well attended by parents, our Trustees and the board’s senior administration. We are very grateful for their support. On Remembrance Day, our grade 12 Drama class with some of our Music students performed a dramatic presentation that commemorated those who fought in both World Wars. Their performance honoured those who served and the families who waited for them to return home. We were moved by the words, images, and songs. The production served as a good reminder of all we have to be thankful for and to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude for the life we live today.
Our student leaders continue to inspire and amaze us. At our very successful grade 8 Parent Information evening held on November 20th, we welcomed over 1800 visitors to our school. Our staff and student leaders highlighted the exceptional academic and extracurricular offerings available to students who attend STL. Our visitors felt welcomed and appreciated the community spirit that was palpable on that evening. Student leaders have also been very active in leading events throughout first semester that include but are not limited to Bullying Prevention Week’s Random Acts of Kindness and “Blue Shirt Day”; Halloween Costume contest; Semi Formal and D & E’s Where are you at? which highlights the numerous cultures that make up the diversity of STL. We look forward to an equally active second semester.
In Athletics, the Lions continue to demonstrate competitive prowess, battling for YRAA spots in regional finals. The boys’ Senior Soccer team competed in the YRAA finals, and showed incredible skill and determination. Unfortunately, they did not capture the banner, but we are very proud of their efforts throughout the season. One of our grade 9 students, participated in the Cross Country OFSAA championship in Sudbury, through the cold and snow. Vanessa Bentrovato finished 63rd out of 255 in the novice girls’ 4km race: an amazing accomplishment!! STL’s Tennis team won the Senior YRAA championship for a second year in a row, and are now OFSAA bound. Thank you to our dedicated coaches for their time, commitment and expertise.
When I reflect back on the last 3 months, and recall the many ways that staff and students alike made and continue to make an incredible difference in our school and in our community, I am filled with a renewed sense of hope in the future. Each and every day, I experience the little way: gestures and words that bring hope, inspiration and ingenuity to a world in desperate need of leadership centered in integrity and an informed moral conscience. This newsletter captures but a few of those moments – enjoy it.
Finally, there is no better symbol of hope than our Lord, Jesus. As we approach Christmas, we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth: a birth that changed the course of history forever. May we always see the face of Christ in every person we meet, may we be charitable and share our blessings with those less fortunate, and may we all have a Blessed and Merry Christmas.
We would like to officially welcome the newest members of the Admin team, Mr. Marrin and Mr. Jorge.
Mr. Marrin comes to us as a VP from St. Maximillian Kolbe and St. Brother Andre where he served the Aurora and Markham communities respectively. Prior to becoming a VP, Mr. Marrin was the Department Head of Mathematics at our sister school in Richmond Hill; Jean Vanier Catholic High School. Mr. Jorge was the Department Head of Science at Jean Vanier Catholic High School in Toronto. STL is his first school as an administrator.
The transition to STL has been seamless for each of them. Mr. Marrin and Mr. Jorge are a welcomed addition to our team and we look forward to their leadership in curriculum and beyond.