CATHOLIC SCHOOL BRIEFS

continues to trend to a balanced budget position for August 2017.

Distinction award postponed for year

Niagara Catholic will not present an education award of distinction at the annual Bishop’s Gala. Education director John Crocco told Niagara Catholic District School Board trustees Tuesday time was too short to arrange for nominees to be present. The 2016-17 education distinction award will be presented along with one for 2017-18 next April. The award is given to individuals or groups who have contributed to Catholic education in Niagara over a period of time. Since its creation in 2005, it has honoured teaching orders of sisters and priests, former board chairs and trustees, outstanding teachers and various supporters of local Catholic education. Nominations come from the public. The annual bishop’s gala, sponsored by Niagara Foundation for Catholic

Niagara Catholic awards Grimsby school contract

Brouwer Construction will build a $4.5-million addition onto Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School in Grimsby. Niagara Catholic District School Board awarded the contract for six classrooms and three child-care rooms Tuesday. The St. Catharines-based company will also make improvements to parking, landscaping and walkways as well as demolish a Cyberquest building. Facilities superintendent Scott Whitwell said Niagara Region will pay for the child-care rooms for use as a daycare centre. It will serve infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Our Lady of Fatima, at Olive Street and the QEW’s North Service Road, has a growing enrolment of more

St. Michael’s elementary in spotlight

Career days have Grade 7 and 8 students thinking about the future at St. Michael’s Elementary Catholic School. Principal Blaine MacDougall, along with student council prime ministers Oishi Ray and Nieve Mastromatto, outlined life at the Niagara-on-the-Lake school during Tuesday’s school board meeting. He said the career days, held regularly through the year, have featured guests talking about their lives as doctors, lawyers, carpenters, plumbers and even as a Blue Jays general manager. The talks and question-and-answer sessions get students thinking about high school courses they could take at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School to go into a particular career. The principal and students also talked about St. Michael’s reading and math improvement programs, Christmas Shop recycling program and charitable work including raising money to build a school in Kenya. St. Michael, established in 1962, was renovated and expanded in 2002 to draw in former St. Vincent de Paul students when that school closed.