Extraordinary lives start with a great Catholic education.

Celebrating our...
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
Discerning Believer
Collaborative Contributor
“Responsibility, time management,
leadership and strong work ethic are
all qualities that I have learned to balance in my life from a very young age.
Thanks to the dedicated teachers and
coaches that I had over the years, for
their support and encouragement that
allowed me to be successful in both my
academics and athletics. I could not
have achieved success in both areas
without their positive influence. My
teachers and coaches taught me to set
my goals high and commit to following my dreams no matter what kind of
adversity I encountered. It was this kind
of support and encouragement that
motivated me to work hard every day
in hopes of becoming the professional
hockey player that I had dreamt of my
whole life.”
“The Felician Sisters, who founded
Holy Name of Mary, demonstrated
daily their commitment to Christ as
they served their students with mercy, compassion and joy. These values,
together with their professionalism and
determination to deliver an excellent
education to young women, instilled in
me the confidence to serve the common
good with principled leadership in every
context -- family, workplace, community. Their humble habit, a visible symbol
of their devotion, served as an enduring
inspiration to live as a witness to my
Catholic faith with cheerful courage.”
Robby Fabbri, NHL Hockey Player
Renata Brum, Senior Citizenship Judge
At 19 years of age, Robby Fabbri achieved his childhood dream of playing in the National
Hockey League. He was drafted 6th overall by the OHL’s Guelph Storm in 2012. His team won
the OHL Championship in 2013 and he was named Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. In the
2014 NHL Draft, he was selected 21st overall by the St. Louis Blues. In his very first NHL game,
Robby scored his first career goal. Internationally, Robby was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning U18 team at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2012 and
the gold medal winning 2015 World Junior U20 Team.
Appointed Senior Citizenship Judge in October 2013, Renata is a former member of the Social Security Tribunal on which she served immediately following her six year appointment
as a Citizenship Judge in Mississauga. As a Citizenship Judge, she presided over thousands
of hearings in English and in French, and was called upon to consult on policy, jurisprudence and legislative initiatives to combat fraud and reform the citizenship process. She
earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology, a Master of Arts from the Toronto School of
Theology, and a Certificate in Public Relations from the University of Toronto. Renata is a
mother of five teens.
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
Our Lady of Mercy School & St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School
Caring Family Member
Holy Name of Mary Catholic Secondary School
Reflective, Creative, Holistic Thinker
“Attending two high schools in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic system enriched my
athletic career by allowing me to grow in
Christ on a daily basis. The power bible
verse I used throughout my success, challenges and adversity, is Philippians 4:13
– “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.”
“Aside from my teachers at Robert F. Hall
Catholic Secondary School fostering my
love of film from an early age, I’ve also
come to realize the virtues instilled in
each of us through our education play
an integral part in the directing of a film.
Justice is giving each character what
he or she is rightfully due, and treating
them with respect. Fortitude is needed
when you approach the 16-hour mark on
set and your ability to think creatively is
impaired. And patience is key when there
are many scenes to shoot, a key crew
member is late, an actor forgets his lines
and time and money are running out.”
Ohenewa Akuffo, Olympic Wrestler/Motivational Speaker
Sean Cisterna, Filmmaker
Ohenewa’s journey to wrestling prominence started while she was in high school. By age 17,
Ohenewa made Canadian history by being the first Junior to make the Senior National Wrestling Team. Ohenewa is a ten time Senior National Champion, Commonwealth Games gold
medalist, World silver and bronze medalist, Pan Am Games silver medalist and Olympian.
Ohenewa gives back through motivating, and empowering students to achieve their goals.
She launched a leadership program for students with a goal to provide young people with the
guidance they need to make their dreams a reality.
Sean Cisterna is a Toronto-based feature filmmaker. A graduate of York University’s Film
and Video program, Sean began his directing career on the PBS Kids show, Ricky’s Room.
After directing commercials for Corus Entertainment, he produced the feature film, My
Brother’s Keeper, and directed the YTV musical, King of the Camp. His 2011 feature film
road trip comedy, Moon Point, played the international festival circuit to great success,
winning several awards. In 2015, he released the feature film, Full Out (starring Jennifer
Beals) and is currently directing the feature film, Kiss and Cry (starring Chantal Kreviazuk).
Ascension of Our Lord and St. Augustine Secondary Schools
Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District
School Board
Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School
Extraordinary lives start with a great Catholic education.
Celebrating our...
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be an
Effective Communicator
“Growing up in a Catholic school
helped shape the way I view things
today. I grew up around so many cultures, ethnicities, and religions and
being in a Catholic school taught me to
embrace diversity rather than shut it
out. We were taught about other religions and were given a different perspective on what it means to be accepting. Now as a musician, I like to portray
the same message with the music I put
out: accept yourself and others around
you for being who they are.”
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
Responsible Citizen
“I am proud of, and thankful for, my
Catholic education in Dufferin-Peel, and
remember many examples from my days
as a student that have positively impacted my life. As a Trustee, I saw first-hand
how staff goes above and beyond, both
inside and outside the classroom, in
many ways that do not get publicized,
for the betterment of their students.
My experience as a student and Trustee
has helped to form me and allow me to
be where I am today. We are blessed in
Dufferin-Peel to be a community that
puts our faith and values at the forefront
of everything that we do.”
Alessia Cara, Singer/Songwriter
Arthur Peters, Executive Director of ShareLife
Alessia Caracciolo, professionally known as Alessia Cara, is a successful R&B singer and
songwriter. She is signed to EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings and is best known
for the hit song, “Here”. Alessia attended Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School.
At the age of 10, she began playing guitar and taught herself how to play various songs.
At the age of 13, she began her own YouTube channel where she posted covers of songs
that she performed. In 2015, at the age of 18, she signed a deal with Def Jam Recordings. Alessia was awarded Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2016 Juno Awards.
Arthur Peters has worked in various roles within the not-for-profit sector, including the
past twelve years as Executive Director of ShareLife and Director of Development for
the Archdiocese of Toronto. He has volunteered in his community and province, having
served as the State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus of Ontario, and for fifteen years,
as a trustee with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, becoming the first
graduate of the system to serve as Chair of the Board.
Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School
Georges Vanier, Lester B. Pearson, St. John Bosco Schools
& St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
An Ontario Catholic School Graduate is expected to be a
Self-Directed, Responsible, Life-Long Learner
Collaborative Contributor
“My Catholic education was an incredible foundation for me because of the
values that we were taught to follow.
Values like integrity, honesty, respect
and inclusion. My high school gave me
the confidence and courage I was looking for and needed to become a leader
and advocate for diversity, inclusion
and human equity. I am grateful for
the Catholic education I received at a
pivotal time in my life.”
“My time at Catholic school taught
me morals that will last a life time. I
started to fall in love with the game of
basketball during my time at St. Mark
School. It gave me the opportunity to
learn about friendship, teamwork, and
goal setting. These are three values
that I still use on a daily basis as a professional basketball player. ”
Jeannine Pereira, Talent Development Leader
Nik Stauskas, NBA Basketball Player
Jeannine is Ernst & Young (EY) Canada’s Talent Development Leader with extensive experience
in diversity, inclusion and human equity. Jeannine’s talent development team facilitated EY
being named one of the Great Places to Work and Great Places to Work for Women by Great
Places to Work®. In 2008, Jeannine received the Ernst & Young Rosemarie Meschi award in the
Rising Leader category, an internal award recognizing inclusive leadership, and Ascend Canada’s Mentor of the Year award in 2014. She is a volunteer with Junior Achievement’s Diversity
in Action Program and a board member of Ascend Canada.
Nik Stauskas is a 6’6” professional basketball player with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
Following two seasons at the University of Michigan, where as a freshman he led his
team to the NCAA championship game, and as a sophmore, was named Big 10 Player of
the Year. He was selected eighth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
In 2015, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sts. Martha & Mary School and Holy Name of Mary Catholic Secondary School
Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District
School Board
St. Mark School & Loyola Catholic Secondary School
Extraordinary lives start with a great Catholic education.