May 30th,  2008

St. Jude Teacher Honoured 
with Prime Minister's Award

Brenda Collins of St. Jude Catholic School has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for the 2007-08 Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence. This outstanding teacher is one of only 51 to receive this award in Canada this year. The award comes with a cheque for $1000 for the school. "It is a tremendous honour to have Brenda as a member of our school community," said Annette Marentette,  Principal St. Jude Catholic School.
 In 2006, Mrs. Collins, was selected after a rigorous application and selection process involving nearly 1,000 teachers from around the world to participate in the 2006 Honeywell Educators@Space Academy program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama. (Left) Her commitment to teaching science and math education earned her the chance to join a prestigious group of 200 middle school teachers from 19 countries and 43 US states, in an intensive educator curriculum focused on space science and exploration in addition to participating in real-life astronaut training. She brought her lessons home to her students in many ways, including International Space Day at St. Jude, where the students go to do many of things that astronauts do in their training.

"Proclaim it From the Rooftops!"

Toronto Welcomes Catholic Media Convention

It is believed to be the biggest gathering of Catholic media ever held in Canada.  475 communicators - editors, communications directors and managers, writers and advertisers -  from across North America gathered in Toronto  this week for the 2008 Catholic Media Convention. It is  the first time the event has been held in Canada. The annual Catholic Media Convention brings together a cross section of those working in the Catholic media and in Catholic organizations: from communications directors to journalists, newspaper editors to television and radio personalities, the gathering provides an opportunity for education, networking and professional development.

The keynote speakers included:

  • Fr. Frederico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office and of Vatican Radio who addressed: “When the Pope speaks to the World: Working with Modern Media.” (for more on his address, see today's edition of the National Post Newspaper)
  • Margaret Somerville, widely acclaimed author of The Ethical Canary: Science, Society, and the Human Spirit, and law professor at McGill University, spoke on how faith-based media need to talk to a secular world.
  • Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec City and primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, spoke on the new evangelization and the media.
Delegates were treated to the very rare site of a Cardinal working a trade booth at the exhibitors' area. John Patrick Cardinal Foley,  the current Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, having previously served as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, lent his support to the Knights of Columbus. (Right)

Below: Dr Mark McGowan, Principal of St. Michael's College in Toronto and an acknowledged expert on Catholic Education in Ontario, was the moderator for a media panel that included CTV news anchor Lloyd Robertson.

 

 

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