Every day, the staff of the 勒貊勛圖 (YCDSB) have the privilege of working with amazing young people who are this country���s future leaders. With final report cards now distributed to secondary students, the YCDSB is excited to celebrate some of its most accomplished students during this school year: the 2022-23 YCDSB Top Scholars.

This year, 19 exceptional students are being recognized for their outstanding academic achievement. YCDSB Top Scholars are the students with the highest average at their secondary school, with the average calculated based on their top six grade 12 courses.

Two students graduated with a 100 per cent average:

• Rohan Kumar graduated from the IB program at Father Michael McGivney Catholic High School (CHS) in Markham, Ont., with a perfect average. Motivated to become a doctor after his mother���s cancer diagnosis, Rohan will enter the five-year Medicine program at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. Rohan encourages students to work hard, take on challenges and, most importantly, have fun.
• Jashvir Rathore also graduated from Father Michael McGivney���s IB program with a 100 per cent average. He will study Computer Science at University of Toronto with the hopes of combining his passions for computers, chemistry and physics into a career. Jashvir encourages students to set challenging goals and to work hard to achieve them, but to always focus on being happy with what was learned rather than the outcome.��

Six other Top Scholars achieved near-perfect grades in their final year of high school:

• Meagan Liang graduated from Cardinal Carter CHS, in Aurora, Ont., with a 99.83 average and in September she will enter Queen���s University to study in the School of Computing.
• Chloe Wong from St. Brother Andr矇 CHS, in Markham, Ont., also graduated with a 99.83 per cent average and she will attend the University of Toronto to study Life Sciences.
• Rita Gergis graduated from Father Bressani CHS, in Woodbridge, Ont., with a 99.67 per cent average and she will study Life Sciences at McMaster University.
• Cathy Sheng from St. Robert CHS, in Thornhill, Ont., graduated with a 99.67 per cent average and she will be studying Computer Science at the University of Waterloo.
• Paul Stoica also graduated from Father Bressani CHS, in Woodbridge, Ont., with a 99.67 per cent average. He will study Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences at McMaster University.
• Kiara Elgohary graduated from Our Lady Queen of the World Catholic Academy, in Richmond Hill, Ont., with a 99.17 per cent average and she will study Health Sciences at McMaster University.

���I want to congratulate the YCDSB���s Top Scholars who have worked so hard to achieve this incredible accomplishment,��� said Domenic Scuglia, Director of Education for the YCDSB. ���I also want to thank the staff, families and everyone else who supported these young adults so they could excel in their academic work. I know all these exceptional students are driven to make this world a better place�� and we are excited to see what they will do next.���

The YCDSB is one of Ontario���s top-performing school boards, with EQAO and OSSLT scores far exceeding provincial averages. With 97.5 per cent of YCDSB students graduating from secondary school in five years, the YCDSB has one of the province���s highest graduation rates. An innovative curriculum and dedicated staff help YCDSB students grow and develop every aspect of their lives.

Graduating from secondary school is a massive milestone in a young person���s life and over the past several weeks, the 勒貊勛圖 has been celebrating its newest alumni at graduation ceremonies throughout the Board. The YCDSB is proud of all its graduating students and is excited to see how they will use their God-given talents to make the world a better place.

	Student Name	School	Community	Grade 12 Average
	Rohan Kumar	Father Michael McGivney CHS	Markham	100
	Jashvir Rathore	Father Michael McGivney CHS	Markham	100
	Meagan Liang	Cardinal Carter CHS	Aurora	99.83
	Chloe Wong	St. Brother Andr矇 CHS	Markham	99.83
	Rita Gergis	Father Bressani CHS	Woodbridge	99.67
	Cathy Sheng	St. Robert CHS	Thornhill	99.67
	Paul Stoica��	Father Bressani CHS	Woodbridge	99.67
	Kiara Elgohary	Our Lady Queen of the World CA	Richmond Hill	99.17
	Anthony Hoalga	St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS	Aurora	98.83
	Serina Wing Yan Chan	St. Augustine CHS	Markham	98.67
	Di (Victoria) Le	Our Lady of the Lake CA	Keswick	98.67
	Isabella Sciabbarrasi	St. Joan of Arc CHS	Maple	98.67
	Vincent Tullo	Holy Cross CA	Woodbridge	98.67
	Maya Anastasia Umicevic	St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS	Richmond Hill	98.67
	Josephina Kim	Sacred Heart CHS	Newmarket	98.5
	James Ramani	St. Jean de Brebeuf CHS	Woodbridge	98.5
	Valeriya Bohovych	St. Elizabeth CHS	Thornhill	98.33
	Claudia Bruno	St. Teresa of Calcutta CHS	Virtual School	97.07
	Nadia Addeo	St. Luke Catholic Learning Centre	Maple	90

The 勒貊勛圖 (YCDSB) is excited to share that Nicholas (Nick) Galatianos, a Student Success Specialist and Principal of Indigenous Education, has won the 2023 Community Partner Award from Crime Stoppers of York Region.

With the Community Partner Award, Nick was recognized for his dedication to making our community a safer place for all. Nick has organized the Annual York Region Crime Stoppers Student Symposium since 2018. He also played a central role in the creating the YCSDB���s anti-sex trafficking protocols, which are at the forefront of protecting York Region residents. While Nick was a vice principal at Cardinal Carter CHS, in Aurora, Ont., he was also a leader in a Crime Stoppers project which produced a video featuring YCDSB students and staff that was shown across the country.

Nick came to the 勒貊勛圖 in 2017 after spending 12 years with the Toronto Catholic District School Board. He has been a vice principal and acting principal at St. Robert CHS, vice principal at Cardinal Carter CHS, principal of St. Luke Catholic Learning Centre, principal of St. Joan of Arc CHS and in April 2023 he became a Student Success Specialist and Principal of Indigenous Education.

The York Region community thanks Nick and all the YCDSB staff who go above and beyond to ensure the safety of our children.

On Saturday, June 24, approximately 100 勒貊勛圖 (YCDSB) staff and friends came together at Richmond Hill Golf Club for the 2nd Annual York Catholic Golf Tournament for ShareLife.

All proceeds were donated to ShareLife and because of the generosity of our participants and sponsors, the tournament raised almost $4,000 for ShareLife. Thanks to everyone for their giving spirit, which made this such a successful event.

This is just one of the ways that the YCSDB lives the Gospel values by supporting ShareLife. Every YCDSB school hosts a ShareLife fundraiser and 23 of the top 50 fundraising schools in the Archdiocese of Toronto are from the YCDSB.

ShareLife helps support over 40 different agencies throughout the community in order to serve the most vulnerable people. Regardless of their faith, age, or background, ShareLife actively lives the Gospel by helping those in need. For more information on how you can get involved or show your support, please visit:

The YCDSB looks forward to carrying on with our ShareLife traditions in 2024, including this fun-filled day on the golf course. We hope to see you there!

The Catholic Education Week theme was particularly timely: ���We Are Many. We Are One.��� It was an important reminder that the beautiful diversity of our YCDSB community is best celebrated when we are together.

During this school year, the Board of Trustees said goodbye to four retiring Trustees and thanked them for their service: Rose Cantisano, Dino Giulliani, Maria Marchese and Dominic Mazzotta. The Board also welcomed four new members of the team: Michaela Barbieri, Joseph DiMeo, Angela Grella and Angela Saggese.

2022 – 2023 Year in Review

May 30, 2023

���We are many, we are one in Christ.���

���Romans 12:5

Dear Families of the YCDSB,

Last night, the Board of Trustees of the 勒貊勛圖 committed to expanded efforts to end bullying and harassment in its schools for all students ��� especially for 2SLGTBQIA+ and Black students, staff and families.

Over the past several months, we have heard from community members who say they do not feel like equal members of our school and that is unacceptable. I thank Director of Education Domenic Scuglia for his leadership in recording recent messages and . These videos clearly show that the YCDSB stands against hatred.��

The YCDSB is now taking the next step in addressing bullying and harassment. As of today, on every YCDSB school homepage, there is a button linking to the ���Report It!��� tool, which gives every student facing bullying and harassment another option to reach out to a caring adult. Last week staff also shared the YCDSB���s first ever mental health and wellness survey, which will help staff better understand the needs of our students, staff and families, and where there are gaps we can fill.

The Board of Trustees has directed staff to create a strategy to address bullying and harassment in our schools.��

After listening to the input of community members, the Board of Trustees also decided to maintain our long-standing policy of only flying Canadian flags on YCDSB property, in order to equally represent all of the YCDSB���s many communities.��

I acknowledge that the past several months have been difficult for many members of our community. Let us move forward with the knowledge that we are all God���s children and we are called to love each other as God loves us.��

釦勳紳釵梗娶梗梭聆,泭

Frank Alexander
Chair of the Board

The annual Yes I Can! Awards returned in person at Richmond Green Secondary School on May 10th, 2023. It was a spectacular night, celebrating the amazing students, educators, parents, and community partners of YCDSB and YRDSB.

Exceptional students are recognized for their accomplishments and significant achievements in the categories of School & Community, Academics, Arts, Athletics, Self-Advocacy, Technology and Transition. YCDSB and the Student Services Department wish to congratulate all winning students and thank you for the contributions you���ve made to your school, home and community. We are so proud of your hard work and effort. Well done!

The Council for Exceptional Children also recognizes staff, parents and community members who have given outstanding service to the Catholic Education Centre (CEC) or who have contributed directly to the support and well-being of exceptional children and youth.

YCDSB and the Student Services Department would like to congratulate the following winners, in their respective categories, for their outstanding work and commitment to supporting our exceptional students.

• Sean VanSpall from VanSpall���s No Frills, Business Award Winners.
  ���VanSpall���s No Frills has been a partner to our FLS program for many years. They have always been supportive in providing enhancement and work experience opportunities to students in the FLS program and more recently, the Pathways to EmployABILITY Program. They continuously welcome our students, and their positivity and encouragement allows our students to participate within the community and build on their work skills to help prepare for the future.���
• Allan Steven and Christine Steven, Parent of the Year Winner.
  ���Every weekend, they take their son to downtown Toronto to watch a live sports game such as the Toronto Football Club, Marlies, and Argonauts. It’s an activity that their son loves and looks forward to on a weekly basis. In the Fall of 2019, the family treated St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS life skills staff, students, and their families to box seats at a Marlies game. Everyone enjoyed the snacks, socialization, and hockey — it was definitely great fun for all. The weekend trips downtown to watch a sports game resumed as soon as they could during Covid. They very kindly organized another Marlies game in April for all of their son���s classmates again.
• Nella Figliano, 2023 Paraprofessional of the Year Winner.
  ���Nella is part of Best Buddies and this year organized the Best Buddies Valentine’s Dance for the entire 勒貊勛圖. This was a huge commitment that Nella took on and she did an incredible job.�� Some highlights include moving the dance out of the school cafeteria and into a banquet hall with a full sit down meal and dancing for all students part of the Best Buddies Program. The amazing part was this was offered for free to all students, their buddies and staff support, over 300 people!�� Nella worked tirelessly securing donations for the event so that there would be no financial barriers for anyone attending.
  

• Daniela Sambolec, Teacher of the Year Winner.
  ���Daniela has recently taken on the role of Head of the Department of Special Education. Although this is a very busy and demanding position, Daniela chose to keep the Life skills class under her personal portfolio. She can often be heard expressing that teaching these students is her greatest passion. She is able to balance the administrative piece of running a cohesive department with the direct teaching of our most vulnerable students, planning and providing important and engaging lessons focused on both the skills of daily living and social engagement. A quick glance of her Twitter, walk through her class, or walk through the school will show that Daniela takes care to include her students in all events and make the most of opportunities to showcase their amazing skills and talents.
  
• Wendy Britt-Steiner, Leader in Education Winner.
  ���Over the course of 34 years in education, Wendy Britt-Steiner has inspired and enriched staff and student learning in all of the roles she has held. As a Classroom Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Department Head, and as Special Education Program Consultant, Wendy has consistently demonstrated inclusive practices and has advocated for the students who needed her to be their voice when they struggled to use their own. She worked closely with Administrators and Teachers to inspire them to become fierce advocates for exceptional students and to seek the optimal approach to tapping their true potential.
  
• Karen Tutty-Smith, 2023 President���s Award Winner.
  ���As the Hearing Consultant for the York Catholic School Board, Karen Tutty-Smith has become a leader in initiatives for the Hearing Department. Fuelled by her genuine love and care for our students with hearing loss, Karen is continually advocating to maintain a department with staff that are experts in the field of Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Karen has encouraged the Hearing Department staff to be trained in board wide language initiatives. Karen has been the leader in organizing and planning board-wide in-services to help classroom teachers develop an understanding of the implications of hearing loss in the classroom. Karen initiated a now annual celebration known as Hearing Play Day. On this day�� students board-wide with hearing loss are invited to Divine Mercy to spend time having fun together and to share their experiences in the classroom.���

Lastly, the council would like to congratulate Hank Liang, winner of a Yes, I Can award in the category of Academics. After reading their amazing nomination and voting, Hank has been selected to be put forth for provincial recognition. His nomination highlighted his amazing skills and helpfulness,
���Hank is able to find strategies in order to communicate his ideas and perseveres in order to demonstrate his knowledge. Hank has also volunteered to help mentor/tutor a peer at our school who requires assistance with Math. He does this on his own time at recess in the Core classroom. Hank benefits from social interaction experiences, therefore this tutoring allows him to work on his interpersonal communication skills. He is excelling in this area as well. As such, Hank is a deserving nominee for the Academic Award in Mathematics.���

The provincial Yes I Can Awards will take place in November/December 2023. We wish the best of luck to all of our provincial candidates, and once again, thank you and congratulations to all the York Chapter 543 recipients.��

The York Region Yes, I Can Awards will return in Spring 2024! Voting will open again in January 2024.

Text:

My name is Domenic Scuglia and I am the Director of Education for the 勒貊勛圖. If you are watching this video, I want you to know that you are loved. Jesus told us, ���As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in love.���

As a Catholic learning community, we believe that God loves each and every one of us as his own children. And that we called to love each other in the same way. Jesus does not put exceptions or conditions on his love. He just loves.

But humans can sometimes not share our love with others. And sometimes we withhold our love for reasons that are unjust.

In particular, 2SLGBTQIA+ students across this country are saying they are bullied, harassed and discriminated against at school. Sadly, we know that is happening in the YCDSB as well.

As the Director of Education, I am making it clear that this is unacceptable. And there will be consequences.

Some 2SLGBTQIA+ students say they are afraid that they won���t be taken seriously if they report these incidents. I am here to tell you that you will be taken seriously. If you have any doubt, I would ask you to contact the YCDSB���s Office of Human Right, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Or contact my office directly.

For three Board Meetings, the YCDSB has seen adults who have demonstrated the bullying and harassment that 2SLGBTQIA+ students say they face. That is also unacceptable and we are sorry for all those who were hurt by those incidents. We are working to stop this from happening again.��

So if you are watching this video, I want you to know that you are loved. You are loved by God and are a valued member of the YCDSB.

The 勒貊勛圖 is proud to announce its 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award winners. Each year, the Board selects six graduates who spent the majority of their formative years with YCDSB and who have gone on to make significant contributions in their respective careers and communities.

Every year new Distinguished Alumni on posters are widely distributed across York Region. The 勒貊勛圖 is pleased to announce the 2023 Distinguished Alumni:

• Sportscaster, CBC Sports and OneSoccer analyst, Andi Petrillo, is the winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Sports Host. Andi continues to break down barriers for females in sports broadcasting, where she has been the first woman in multiple categories in her field. Andi is a graduate of St. Joan of Arc CHS in Maple.
• Professional basketball player, Andrew Nembhard, is currently playing in the starting line-up of the NBA���s Indiana Pacers. He has represented Team Canada in FIBA competitions at the U-16, U-17 and U-18 levels and the senior national team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Andrew is a graduate of St. Jerome CES in Aurora.
• Digital marketer and cartoonist, Daniele Rossi, has been drawing comics and stuttering for most of his life. He offers support to many people who stutter through his ���Stuttering is Cool��� podcast and his online community, Stutter Social. Daniele has published a book also called Stuttering is Cool which has been used by speech therapists. Daniele is a graduate of St. Elizabeth CHS in Thornhill.
• Jim Anderson, manages several Rogers tv studios in York and Durham regions. He also directs many programs including, ���The Parenting Show,��� Santa Claus parades, live election coverage and Ontario Police Memorial observances. He serves on the Board of Directors for Georgina Cares. Jim attended Our Lady Help of Christians CES and graduated from St. Robert CHS in Thornhill.
• Assistant professor and researcher, John Calarco, does extensive research in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto. He is also a Canada Research Chair in Neural RNA Biology. He attended U of T and started a research lab at Harvard University. John attended St. Francis of Assisi CES, St. Peter CES and Father Bressani CHS in Woodbridge.
• Registered nurse, Maria-Rosa La Neve, works at SickKids Hospital as a clinical research nurse coordinator and RSV nurse coordinator. She is currently working in the Division of Infectious Diseases, specifically in the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) program. Maria-Rosa attended St. Rene Goupil CES, St. Michael Catholic Academy and graduated from St. Robert CHS in Thornhill.

The YCDSB is also pleased to share the below video which shares some of the amazing contributions of these winners.