Catholic Education

{mosimage}BURLINGTON, Ont. - Catholic Grade 8 students in Oakville, Burlington and surrounding areas won't be vaccinated on school property against a virus that causes cervical cancer. Halton Catholic District School Board voted 5-4 to reverse last year's decision to host public health nurses giving the Gardasil shot against HPV to girls whose parents have requested it.

{mosimage}TORONTO - A student government decision to ban support for anti-choice clubs on campus at Toronto’s York University has left many Catholic and pro-life groups fearing they will be shut out of campus life.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The province has taken over Toronto's Catholic school board. Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne appointed Norbert Hartmann supervisor responsible for the day-to-day operations and finances of the troubled board Wednesday morning, June 4.

{mosimage}Editor's note: the following is a letter dated May 27 from Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins to the trustees of the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Dear Trustees of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

One evening not long ago I joined a gathering of devoted Catholic educators in the room where you deliberate, to celebrate the publication of Dr. Robert Dixon's new history of Catholic education in Toronto, We Remember, We Believe. It is a story of many difficulties, but also of the dedication, competence and self-sacrifice of the religious sisters and brothers, and of the laity and clergy who for over 160 years developed Catholic education in our community. We have much of which we can be proud in the past and in the present.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board says chances are “pretty slim” the elected trustees will not be replaced by a provincially appointed supervisor June 4.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Communication in the Catholic milieu is about bringing people together in friendship, says the newest Doctor of Divinity from Regis College.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Fifty years have passed since Irish priests from the Spiritan order founded Neil McNeil Catholic High School, an all-boys’ Catholic school in Toronto’s east end.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Having spent $900,000 on questionable expenses in 2007, Toronto’s Catholic school trustees face a political crisis.

“If the perception is that the board is frittering the money away on things that aren’t prescribed under the legislation it makes it difficult for us to win the public relations battle with the Minister (of Education) over underfunding. That’s a given,” said newly appointed Ward 6 trustee Rob Davis.

{mosimage}TORONTO - It isn’t always teachers who are critical to education. Among the annual education awards handed out by Ontario’s Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne April 30, an award to the special needs education assistants at Ottawa’s Sacred Heart High School honoured a team that does far more than teach.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments on academic freedom during his speech on Catholic education has come under close scrutiny from Canada’s university presidents and teachers.

After the April 17 speech at Catholic University of America, they wanted to know whether the Pope would try to crack down on dissent on college campuses. To most, though, it appeared that he was encouraging Catholic universities, not criticizing them.