To help end the stigma around mental health and illness, Bell has successfully run the annual #BellLetsTalk campaign in which the company donates $0.05 to mental health initiatives for every text and tweet that uses the hashtag on January 25.

And Catholic schools and students got on board to support the initiative, including CCSTA President Marino Gazzola’s great niece.

A graduate from St. James Catholic High School in Guelph, Ontario, Brittany Gazzola took her support a step further last year. On her Twitter account, she stated that she’d donate 25 cents every time her own tweet was re-tweeted. And the response was huge. After the day-long campaign, The Mohawk College student ended up donating $320 to the campaign. That means her tweet was re-tweeted more than 1,200 times. Bell would have also donated their contribution on top of what Brittany had promised.

Brittany’s story was featured by the Mohawk College student news crew. You can watch her video here:

https://vimeo.com/153858288

This year, Brittany teamed up with her dad, and together they raised another $200.

Read more: How Catholic students Embraced the #BellLetsTalk Initiative

A faith-based professional development workshop once launched in the 1970s has transformed into a widely popular annual conference that welcomes attendees from across the country.

The Canadian Forum on Theology and Education is set to take place from March 31 to April 1, 2017 in Oakville, Ontario. Last year, more than 450 people attended the conference, and it’s expected to bring in large numbers again this year.

CCSTA chatted with organizer, John Quinn, who gave us a history lesson behind the forum as well as what it offers to its participants today.

Read more: A Q&A with the Canadian Forum on Theology and Education Coordinator

When Kevin Kobus received the 2016 Higgins Award last June, he was quick to turn the attention to past recipients. Kobus was the 41st Annual Higgins Award recipient, and said he felt honoured to be among the list of past winners.

“It is a privilege to be joining such an accomplished group,” he said during his acceptance speech at the CCSTA AGM in Yellowknife. “I note in particular Greg McNally’s name on this list. Greg was a friend and valued colleague. Like others who have received this award, he is a fine example of what those involved in Catholic education should strive to be.”

The Higgins Award is in memory of a distinguished Canadian jurist and Catholic School Trustee, the Honourable Justice James Higgins of St. John's, Newfoundland. Each year, the CCSTA Board of Directors presents an award to a person or group that has made an outstanding contribution to Catholic education in Canada.

From Ontario to Newfoundland to British Columbia, the award recognition has made its way across the entire country honouring those who have made an impact on Catholic education in Canada.

Read more: Nominations for Higgins Award Open until Jan. 15