OCSTA Newswire

OCSTA 95th AGM and Conference

OCSTA was pleased to welcome the York Catholic District School Board as the Association’s co-host for this year’s milestone 95^th Annual General Meeting and Conference event. From May 1 – 3, 2025 over 300 OCSTA delegates and guests gathered at the Toronto Hilton/Markham Suites Hotel to celebrate publicly funded Catholic education in Ontario during this Jubilee year aligned to the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”.

As in previous years, this spring Conference provided an opportunity to worship together as a community of Catholic education leaders; to discuss the issues impacting Catholic education; to make decisions on the work and direction of the Association, and; to provide moments for reflective prayer, learning and consideration of the issues, ideas, opportunities  and concepts that enrich and inspire Catholic School Trustees and other education leaders.

The conference theme “Pilgrims of Hope” encompasses the mission of Catholic education. It highlights the importance of faith, community, perseverance, service, and love in shaping students who will be the bearers of the message that our hope is in Christ. Through this pilgrimage, Catholic education invites everyone to embark on a journey toward a deeper relationship with God and to embrace the call to love and serve others.

President’s Report

OCSTA President Michael Bellmore delivered a membership update on the work of OCSTA and an acknowledgement of the dedication and contributions of the OCSTA Board of Directors and all Trustees, students and educators across the province. President Bellmore reviewed the Association’s advocacy priorities which can be viewed in the OCSTA Presentation Centre (presentations are currently being uploaded). At the conclusion of President Bellmore’s presentation he presented an award of recognition to Monica Galstyan, the York Catholic District School Board Student Trustee leader who is also the provincial Catholic Vice President with the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association and liases with her executive and peers across the province to develop relevant and helpful student trustee leadership development events and resources with the support of OCSTA.

Presentation Highlights

Keynote presenter, former PC Leader, Tim Hudak.

Part of the programming for this year’s AGM and Conference included pre-conference meetings of Trustees in each of OCSTA’s 5 Regions. At each of these meetings Trustees discussed local and regional matters identified by participants in each region.

Throughout the Conference, meetings featured high profile speakers, presentations and workshops that examined relevant and current issues in education and also offered insight to support the work and vocation of Catholic Trustees and other Catholic education leaders. To access the presentations and recordings available from this year’s conference please visit the OCSTA Presentations Centre (presentations are currently being uploaded).

Elections

All 8 candidates for the 2025 AGM Regional Directors election were acclaimed.

“I am pleased to acknowledge with gratitude all the candidates who put their name forward to serve the mission of Catholic education at the provincial level as an OCSTA Regional Director. The newly acclaimed trustees accept the call to serve Catholic education and share a commitment to place Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church at the centre of students’ learning experiences. I look forward to serving with them in the best interest of Catholic Education,” said OCSTA President Michael Bellmore. 

OCSTA Regional Directors – Election Results:

Region 1: Colleen Landers, Northeastern CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 2: Paul Landry, Kenora CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 3 (At Large): Glenn Sheculski, Northeastern CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 4: Lori Di Castri, Bruce-Grey CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 5: John Van Heck, St. Clair CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 9: Morgan Ste. Marie, Durham CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 10: Brian Evoy, Algonquin & Lakeshore CDSB (Acclaimed)

Region 11: Danny Di Lorenzo, Niagara CDSB (Acclaimed)

*CDSB – Catholic District School Board

Regions 6, 7, 8, 12 and 13 are represented by Trustees who are appointed by their respective boards. View the complete list of the OCSTA Board of Directors here.

OCSTA Awards Program

Trustee Award of Merit recipient David Howard, Renfrew County Catholic District School Board.

The Association was pleased to acknowledge outstanding Catholic education leadership and service through the annual OCSTA Awards Program. This year’s awards recognized the following individuals:

2025 OCSTA Trustee Award of Merit Recipient:
Trustee David Howard, Vice-Chair, Renfrew County CDSB (view profile)

2025 OCSTA Special Award Recipient
Most Reverend Fred Colli, Retired Bishop, Diocese of Thunder Bay (view profile)

2025 OCSTA Student Trustee Alumni Award Recipients
Aaron Paul and Ajoy Paul, Former Student Trustees, Durham CDSB (view profile)

25-Year Catholic Trustee Service Awards Recipients

John Caputo, Huron-Superior CDSB

Lindsay Liske, Huron-Superior CDSB

Carol MacEachern, Huron-Superior CDSB

Sandra Turco, Huron-Superior CDSB

Angela Kennedy, Toronto CDSB

Trustee Professional Development – Mandatory Sessions

A reminder to all members that the Ministry of Education’s Mandatory Training for Trustees 4-part webinar series is currently happening. The May 14th and May 21st webinars have concluded (recorded sessions will be made available for members who were unable to attend the live sessions).

The remaining two upcoming live webinar sessions are: “Financial Management and Governance” presented by Tracy McLellan, Associate Director, Wellington Catholic DSB and Brian McKay, Associate Director, Lambton Kent DSB, and; “Director of Education Performance Appraisal” presented by Nancy Crawford, Catholic Trustee and Former TCDSB Chair; Robin Pilkey, Former TDSB CHair, and; Ted Doherty, Executive Director, OESC.

Details and links to register for these mandatory webinars are below:

Participants are encouraged to attend the online/synchronous learning sessions; however, these mandatory sessions will be recorded and made available on OESC’s Good Governance website (to be viewed before the end of August, 2025).

2025 Fall Regional Meetings

Following are the dates and locations for OCSTA’s Fall Regional Meetings. Further details will be provided as they become available.