After nearly 40 years of service with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic school board, John Kostoff is stepping down as director of education but he isn't headed to retirement yet.

Respected educator Kostoff stepping down

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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - After spending the better part of four decades with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, John Kostoff will soon be saying goodbye.

Basilian superior general Fr. George Smith launched the Basilian Network for Education and the New Evangelization. Smith says the network was created to keep traditions in education alive in an era with fewer vocations to the priesthood.

Basilian future looks to the past

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TORONTO - The 200-year tradition of Basilian education is taking a new path into the future — a path first walked by the disciples Jesus sent out two-by-two to connect with the villages of Galilee and change the world.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, and that is evident in the Catholic school system.

Eucharist at the heart of Catholic education

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GUELPH, ONT. - In increasingly secular Ontario, the debate about the real or perceived distinctiveness of Catholic education rages on.

Student athletes at Hamilton, Ont.’s St. Thomas More Secondary School take part in the “Play Like a Champion Today” retreat.

Students inspired to play like champs

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HAMILTON, ONT. - At Hamilton’s St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School, members of the senior soccer teams are learning more than just tactics, strategy and skills specific to their sport; they’re learning how faith contributes to their game.

Fr. James T. Mulligan, C.S.C., published a new book on the key relationships between parishes and Catholic schools.

Parish, school co-operation is essential to the Church

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Fr. James Mulligan sees the collaboration between school and parish as an essential component of Catholic education existence.

And with the spread of secularization across nearly all the facilities of contemporary Western society, the need for parish and school to work hand-in-hand is increasing, he said. This poses a challenge for both priests and educators, yet also offers a gift to all those involved with Catholic education.

During Cynthia Bettio's first time teaching a grade 11 parenting course, she said that many of the students had questions about their bodies and sexual health so she started a pilot program to better understand themselves.

Program aims to empower youth in their relationships

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RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - Cynthia Bettio said it is rare for a teacher to get an instant feeling of satisfaction from their students, but last semester, she witnessed her Grade 11 parenting class go from being unsure to empowered.

St. Francis Xavier Secondary School has renamed its athletic field after former chaplain Brian Finamore, left, for his indelible impact on the students and the school community.

Chaplain’s spirit will live on at Finamore Field

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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - St. Francis Xavier Secondary School has renamed its athletic field after former cheering chaplain Brian Finamore.

Smoking tobacco and marijuana is down among today’s high school students, but efforts are still being made to reduce substance abuse further.

Students lead efforts against substance abuse

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TORONTO - Catholic schools in urban Ontario are taking a softer approach to curbing substance abuse within their communities by focusing on harm reduction awareness.

Students from Toronto’s Senator O’Connor College School stand in their school foyer. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Education data, more than 80% of English Catholic high school students graduate in four years compared to the 69% of student graduates in English public boards.

Catholic high school graduation rates better than public boards

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Students at Ontario’s Catholic high schools are graduating at a significantly higher rate than those at public schools, according to data released by the Ministry of Education.

Ann Hawkins is the new president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. When asked about balancing a school board’s deficit, Perkins said savings can be found elsewhere in a school system rather than cuts to the classroom.

OECTA president to focus on relationship building

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Over the next two years Ann Hawkins hopes to use her position as the new Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association’s (OECTA) president to build relationships and protect the Catholic classroom.

Open season on Catholic education

Open season on Catholic education

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In his new book The Global War on Christians, John L. Allen Jr. follows in the path of Phillip Jenkins’ book, The New Anti-Catholicism, in highlighting growing anti-Catholicism in our society.

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