ROSIE Del Campo - the York Catholic District School Board

DURING CATHOLIC EDUCATIO N WEEK
The York Catholic District School Board salutes our:
2010
Distinguished
alumni
DEAN & DAN
Caten
FASHION DESIGNERS
OPERA SINGER
Soprano Michelle Danese, a graduate of Holy Cross
Catholic Academy, earned a degree in classical music
and opera performance from York University, as well
as a diploma in performance from the Glenn Gould
School of The Royal Conservatory of Music. She
recalls that her performance as Maria in a high
school production of West Side Story was one of her
greatest school experiences, and furthered her drive
to pursue a career in music. Michelle says that being
educated in a Catholic environment allowed her to
express her beliefs through song and gave her a basis
in faith to guide her on her life’s journey. She has
performed in places including Tuscany, Italy and
Tampa Bay, Florida. In the summer of 2010, she will
head to Norway to take part in Den Nye Opera’s
production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.
BARRY
Munro
Identical twins Dean and Dan Caten, who attended
St. Robert Catholic High School, have been designing
clothes since the 1980s. They launched their own
fashion line, DSquared², in 1994 and have dressed
celebrities like Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin
Timberlake, Nicholas Cage and Lenny Kravitz. For
the past four years, the brothers have also been
chosen to design the official uniforms for Italian
soccer team Juventus. Although currently living in
London, England, Dean and Dan returned to
Toronto in September 2009 to be inducted into
Canada’s Walk of Fame. Currently, they host their
own radio show, Dean and Dan on Air: Style in
Studio and can be seen as the judges and co-hosts of
the reality television show, Launch My Line. Dean
and Dan were known by other students at St. Robert
as having a strong flair for fashion.
ROSIE
Del Campo
BRENDAN
Fernandes
VISUAL ARTIST
Rosie Del Campo is a videographer and anchor for
CTV News (Southwestern Ontario). The Holy Cross
Catholic Academy graduate is based in Kitchener,
where she shoots and writes news reports during the
week and anchors live newscasts on weekends. She
graduated from Ryerson University with a B.A. in
Journalism, and interned at Rogers Television, the
Toronto Star and CBS News in New York. Rosie
began her broadcasting career at CTV News in Saskatoon. She encourages high school students to get
involved in as many extra-curricular activities as
possible. As a York Catholic student, Rosie was
involved in drama productions, the school newspaper,
arts council and community events. She notes that
her participation in these activities helped to nurture
the confidence she needed to pursue her career goals.
Stillo
Erica Stillo, who graduated from Father Bressani
Catholic High School, dedicates herself to global and
community development projects around the world.
She currently works as a program development,
monitoring and evaluation officer with an
international organization. She recently returned
from East Africa where she monitored, evaluated
and developed new proposals for health, education
and rural development projects for women and
children. Erica believes the world politics and history
classes she took at Father Bressani influenced her
career choice. She credits teacher Tony Whelan’s
social justice club for introducing her to issues such as
poverty and human rights. “Catholic values, such as
compassion for others less fortunate, were instilled in
us as students through chaplaincy and in our classes.
These values are still with me today.” In the future,
Erica plans to work in East Africa or Afghanistan.
NEWS ANCHOR
LAWYER
St. Robert Catholic High School grad Barry Munro is
a partner at Falconeri Munro Tucci LLP and the
chairman of the Canadian Spinal Research
Organization. In 1987, he sustained a spinal cord
injury in a diving accident, which resulted in
quadriplegia. Undeterred by his injury, Barry went
on to study law. Since his injury, he has become an
advocate for the need for increased consumer
participation in the field of neurotrauma research.
He is the 2003 recipient of the Queen's Jubilee
Award given for outstanding citizenship, and a
member of the boards of the Richmond Hill Mobility
Accessibility Foundation and the Ontario
Neurotrauma Foundation. He says his York Catholic
teachers engaged and challenged him, encouraging
him to reach his full potential. He believes that his
Catholic education helped to reinforce the ethics
and morals that were taught in his home.
ERICA
A graduate of Sacred Heart Catholic High School,
Brendan Fernandes was born in Kenya of Indian
heritage and immigrated to Canada in the 1990s. His
artwork explores the effects that one’s cultural roots
and places of residence have on one’s identity. His
pieces have been exhibited throughout the world,
and he was named one of New York City’s 13 rising
artists in City magazine for his video and sculptural
installations. His work has been displayed at Rideau
Hall, the residence of Canada’s governor general.
Brendan has fond memories of high school class trips
to New York and Paris. He also notes that art teacher
Janice Le Blanc took time after school to help him
prepare his portfolio for the university application
process. “These types of experiences at an early age
supported me to become the artist I am today,” he says.
Catholic Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate our alumni who demonstrate their Christian leadership every day.
York Catholic District School Board, 320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora, ON L4G 0M1
This poster is also available online at www.ycdsb.ca.
Printed on Recycled Paper
Danese
GLOBAL
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
MICHELLE