This year’s CCSTA Annual General Meeting and Convention integrated a never-before-done partnership: a French and English school board came together to co-host the three-day event.
With the AFOCSC, CSC Mon Avenir and NCDSB coming together, the hundreds of delegates attending the meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario experienced the energy behind collaboration.
“The AGM was an overwhelming success. The speakers and workshops were excellent and the social activities, which are a great way to network, were enjoyed by all. A huge thank to the organizing committee,” says CCSTA Executive Director Julian Hanlon.
The AGM saw delegates arrive from across the country, and the dialogue surrounding cross-Canada relations amongst the trustees remained a key focus, particularly in relation to the Theodore Case.
“The 2017 AGM and Conference was a true gathering of Catholic Trustees and administrators coming together to learn from each other,” says CCSTA President Marino Gazzola. “We share the common goal of protecting and promoting Catholic education in Canada. The AGM provided enthusiastic and passionate thought provoking speakers, informative workshops as well as enjoyable and entertaining events. “
A number of bishops were present and four past CCSTA presidents attended the gala: Mike St. Amand, Shirley McParland, Bon Fagan and Gerald Bernakevitch.
Each year, the Toonies for Tuition trophy is handed out to the province that raises the most amount of money per full-time enrollment student. Once again, Saskatchewan walked away with the hardware and maintained their perfect trophy record.
When asked for one specific highlight that stayed with him from the weekend, Julian came away with an empowering message from Higgins Award Winner, his Excellency, Bishop Henry.
“Bishop Henry’s acceptance speech, which implored us not to be complacent when it comes to defending Catholic Education, was a highlight,” says Julian.
“The highlight for me was the student who performed the opening ceremony, which truly kick started the event,” says Marino. “A beautiful and inspiring Mass on Saturday and the following gala dinner concluded the weekend. The organizing committee put together a memorable three days, and they are to be thanked and commended for all their work.”
The three days also saw a tree-planting ceremony, experiential excursions, inspiring keynotes and a memorable way to network, connect and re-connect.
AGM Participants had the opportunity to provide feedback, and one participant’s takeaway from the weekend solidifies the power behind bringing trustees, clergy and educators together from across the country:
“This convention allowed me to further understand the broad range of Catholic educational similarities and differences province to province. I learned much as a result.”
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