Ontario's Unique Public Education System Focus of New Series

TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - Today the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association launches on social media a short-video series to help Ontarians better understand the Catholic segment of the province's unique public education system. 

"When students attend a Catholic school it's generally understood that students will learn in an environment that focuses on provincial curriculum milestones as well as spiritual and character development. In fact, Ontario's Catholic schools have a priority focus on social teachings that emphasize compassion, service and responsibility for the care of the poor, the sick and the most vulnerable in society. Our Association has launched a video series to help Ontarians understand the impact of that kind of learning environment on the holistic development of young people," said OCSTA Director of Catholic Education, Brian O'Sullivan.

The short-video series is part of the Catholic school system's province-wide social media campaign entitled "Faith in Our Future." The campaign is an invitation for all Ontarians to explore the distinctive value and contribution of Catholic education to the life of this province. For more than 170 years Catholic schools have been recognized by the government as an integral part of public education in Ontario communities.

The series highlights a number of Ontarians whose lives have been influenced by Catholic education—from the internationally recognized social justice leader and co-founder of Free the Children and Me to We, Marc Kielburger, to lesser known but equally interesting Ontarians with their own experience and stories like university student Samantha Mok, and Colaneri Estate Winery owner and Catholic Women's League provincial president, Betty Colaneri.

To view the video trailer produced for this series and published on YouTube visit: http://youtu.be/PkbNhvpt9C4. All individual videos associated with the Faith in Our Future campaign have been uploaded to the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association's YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/OCSTAVideo1) and are being shared throughout other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association is the provincial voice for Catholic education. Founded in 1930, OCSTA represents all English Catholic school boards and collectively educates approximately 600,000 students in Ontario, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.

SOURCE: Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Sharon McMillan, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations, Tel: [phone], ext. 232, cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected], www.ocsta.on.ca