OCSTA Updates

May 3, 2010 - Catholic Trustees Elect New Leadership and Welcome Minister of Education at 80th Annual General Meeting

Almost 200 memebers of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) gathered last week in Thunder Bay to elect new exective memebers during the 80th Annual General Meeting of the OCSTA membership.

OCSTA is pleased to announce that Nancy Kirby of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario was elected Presidents of the Association. Ms. Kirby has served as OCSTA Vice PResident since 2008. Currently the Vice Chair of the CDSB of Eastern Ontario, Ms. Kirby has been a memeber of the OCSTA Board of Directors since April of 2007. She has also servered on the Minister of Education's Advisory Council on Special Education and on the Board of Directors for Curriculum Services Canada.

"Ontario has been recognized internationally as one of the most successful publicly funded education systems in the world. Catholic schools have contributed to that success. Ontario's 29 Catholic school boards prvode communities with schools that are committed to social justice, academic excellence and helping students to realize their God-given potential," explained Ms. Kirby.

"I look forward to serving Catholic school boards and working collaboratively with the government and our education partners to continue to build and strengthen our education system," added Ms. Kirby.

Wellington Catholic District School Board Trustee, Marino Gazzola was elected Vice PResident of the Association, Mr. Gazzola has been a trustee with the Wellington CSDB since 2007. A sergeant with the Guelph Police, Mr. Gazzola is a 2000 recipient of the Ontario English Catholic School Teachers' Association Award of Merit and is also a 1992 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor General of Ontario Medal for Community Service.

Minister of Education, the Hon. Leona Dombrosky also attended the Association's  even. A former Catholic trustee and member of OCSTA's Board of Directors, Minister Dombrowsky told representatives of Ontario's Catholic school boards that "the McGuinty government is absolutely committed to Catholic education, English and French, in the province of Ontario."

We have a school system that works and we are committed to continuing to support you [Catholic School Boards] in the important work that you do providing Catholic education to our students," said Minister Dombrowsky.

OCSTA delegates also re-elected Northeastern Catholic District School Board Trustee and OCSTA Board of Director member, Colleen Landers as the Ontario representative to the Canadian Catholic School Trustees' Association (CCSTA). CCSTA represents the interests of Catholic school boards at the national level.

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association is the provincial voice for publicly funded Catholic education. Founded in 1930, OCSTA represents the interests of Catholic school boards that collectively educate approximately 600,000 students in Ontario, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Please take a look at the "Catholic Education in Ontario" fan page that OCSTA has set up on Facebook. See the Link Below.