​The Halton Catholic District School Board takes great pride in hosting its annual Student Awards of Excellence Ceremony on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School in Burlington to recognize student excellence across its system. On the twenty-third anniversary celebration of Catholic Student Excellence, the Board will honour both the Sharing The Spirit Student Award of Excellence recipients and its Special Education Advisory Committee’s Spirit of Inclusion Award recipients.

The student and his/her parents, teacher, principal and Board trustees will attend the ceremony. The name and school of each recipient is detailed on the attached list. A special Celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Bishop D. Crosby, Bishop of Hamilton, will be held for these outstanding Catholic student award recipients and their parents/guardians, prior to the award ceremony. The St. Christopher Catholic Elementary School Choir of Burlington, under the direction of teachers Michael Stanlake and Christine Freeman, will sing at the Mass. The St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School Choir of Oakville, under the direction of teachers Anita Spisic and Christine Stollberg, will perform at the awards ceremony.

Chair of the Board, Alice Anne LeMay, notes that “as has been the tradition of the Board, we are pleased to launch the celebration of Catholic Education Week 2011 (May 1 - 6, 2011) by recognizing the achievements and efforts of these students. The award recipients are such wonderful role models not only for their peers but for all of us and, as such, are a shining example of the quality Catholic education that we provide in Halton."

One student representative has been selected from each elementary and secondary school to receive the Sharing The Spirit Student Award of Excellence. A special Sharing The Spirit gold medallion and certificate will be presented to each student. The students who have been selected to receive the Sharing The Spirit Award were nominated by their principal. Each demonstrated outstanding qualities in the following areas: Catholic leadership, family commitment, involvement in school affairs, involvement in community activities and dedication to a difficult situation or task. Students may not be selected more than once for this award throughout their school career.

Each year, the Board's Special Education Advisory Committee (S.E.A.C.) presents the annual Spirit of Inclusion Award to one elementary student and one secondary student with an individual plaque bearing the unique logo, which reflects the Spirit of Inclusion, and a plaque for their respective school for display.

The Spirit of Inclusion Award was created by S.E.A.C. to increase the community’s understanding and awareness of special needs students in our schools and to promote an all-inclusive Board and school population. Teachers and support staff from all of the Board’s schools are invited to submit nominations of students from Grades 1 to 12 level, who demonstrate excellent attitude and spirit in dealing with challenges; cause others to be valued and included; recognize and value schoolmates as unique individuals, each with a contribution to make to the community; may or may not receive special education services; demonstrate a commitment to school activities and are involved in the spiritual life of the school. Lorraine Cipparrone, the Chair of S.E.A.C., will assist with the presentation of these special awards.

Director of Education, Michael Pautler, remarks that “the excellence and commitment demonstrated by these recipients reflects the essence of all of our partners in Catholic education. We are all very proud of these students, who are our Catholic leaders of the future.”