It's been five years since John Crocco walked the corridors of the Niagara Catholic District School Board, but his influence is still felt every day.

Crocco cemented himself as a titan of the board, and Catholic education in general, through his design and implementation of Vision 2020, the board’s first multi-year strategic plan, while he was the board's director of education. 

The plan, which included extensive input from students themselves, brought the addition of elementary chaplaincy leaders to the board, which became an example for other Catholic school boards in Ontario. He also established chapels in elementary schools as dedicated spaces for school Masses and liturgies, prayer services and reflection. 

“ I always believed that our Catholic schools were the ultimate equalizer because it was never based on a child's postal code or family income, but on the providing every child with the best opportunity they can to succeed and grow in faithful education,” Crocco said of the Vision 2020 plan.

This vision, on top of numerous other contributions in the classroom and beyond, has led to Crocco being honoured with the Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction. Crocco was honoured alongside retired board chairs and trustees Kathy Burtnik and Frank Fera. 

All three have made a significant and positive contribution to Catholic education across a combined near century-long devotion of service to the Niagara board. Having supported generations of Catholic students and their families as they learned and grew in faith, Crocco, Burtnik and Fera join fellow notable contributors on Niagara Catholic’s Wall of Distinction. 

“The Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction is Niagara Catholic’s pinnacle of recognition for individuals who have committed their lives to the service of Catholic education, whether as priests, nuns, brothers or laypeople; or as volunteers, builders and leaders in our system,” said director of education Camillo Cipriano. 

Crocco began his career as a teacher. With experience as a guidance counsellor, department head, program supervisor, vice-principal and superintendent of education, Crocco became the first staff member in Niagara Catholic to begin as a classroom teacher and become director of education when he did so in 2008. 

“ I've been very blessed for the opportunity to add to the success of those I served with during our time together. None of what I’ve done would have been possible if not for the love and support of my wife and my children,” Crocco said. 

“I started off teaching in 1983 and if you told me then that I would go on to receive this award, that 23-year-old wouldn't believe you. I've always been a man of prayer and believed that you have to trust in God's plan and so that is what I've done.”

His impact proved to be wide-reaching, with Crocco initiating the creation of the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association and establishing the Niagara Catholic Education Alliance Committee to promote the ministry of sport in Catholic schools with the help of Bishop Gerard Bergie. 

He was also responsible for bringing French immersion to the board, as well as helping  create the Niagara Launch Centre which allowed for now-commonplace technology learning. These programs opened new pathways for students of various language and learning backgrounds to excel in suitable pathways.

Crocco retired as director of education in 2020 after seeing his strategic plan through until its end. He now continues to support both students and staff as a member of the board of directors of the Niagara Foundation for Catholic Education.

Burtnik was first elected a trustee for the Lincoln County Roman Catholic Separate School Board in 1994. There, she served multiple terms as a trustee, vice-chair and chair. Following the amalgamation of school boards in 1998, she then worked for the Niagara Catholic District School Board until her retirement in 2022 after 28 years of service.

During that time, she worked as a director with the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association from 2016-2018 as well as actively supporting Toonies for Tuition, the annual Niagara Catholic pilgrimage and various other social justice initiatives.

Fellow retired trustee Fera served for 24 years, including two terms as chair of the board on the back of his career as a principal within the board. His living faith was noted as integral in the creation of the Serra Club through the Diocese of St. Catharines where he served as president, volunteering and collaborating with laity, clergy and colleagues in promoting vocations as a career option for youth for many years. 

“Together, (Crocco, Burtnik and Fera) are an indelible part of the fabric of Niagara Catholic, dedicating countless hours of their lives in the interest of enriching the lives of generations of Catholic students. As a trustee and board chair, I am grateful for their many years of commitment to Catholic education locally, provincially and nationally,” said board chair Danny Di Lorenzo.

The legacies of Crocco, Burtnik and Fera will shine at the board’s annual benefit gala on March 27 in St. Catharines.