Enrollment Exceeds Expectations

The Huron-Superior Catholic District has seen a substantial enrollment increase from its spring projections for the 2022-2023 school year.

In an announcement to trustees at their first meeting of the 2022-2023 school year, Director of Education Danny Viotto revealed that enrollment is up approximately 225 additional students.

“This is a significant increase in student enrollment and there are many people and facets who contributed to make this happen.  We are proud of the work of our principals, vice principals, clerical and staff at each of our schools who have created welcoming and vibrant  learning communities for new families to be drawn to.  Our Catholic school communities continue to be nurturing and innovative.  With expanding and diverse programming opportunities, our families are recognizing the many opportunities that Catholic education provides for their children,” said Viotto.

Viotto added that an intentional focus on engaging with newcomers was one of the drivers of the enrollment increase.  Close to one hundred newcomer students have chosen Catholic education over the summer bringing the number of newcomer students at HSCDSB schools to 173 over the past year.   

“I would like to acknowledge the work of Jordan D’Addetta and Alexandra Berlingieri our Multi Lingual Learner Teachers along with several other key members of our Curriculum Department who worked alongside Superintendent Fil Lettieri and Superintendent Christine Durocher this summer to attend several community events.  Their continued commitment to building closer partnerships with local immigration services allowed for a very smooth transition for newcomer students,” added Viotto.

“This is wonderful news.  We know that our Catholic school communities are vibrant learning spaces and this confirms it.  I am especially thankful of the extra attention our staff gave to supporting newcomers to our communities.  It is a great example of gospel teachings in action, said Board Chair, Sandra Turco. 

With the influx of new students the board’s Human Resources Department and Staffing Committee were busy and worked swiftly to place an additional fifteen classroom Teachers in our schools within the first two weeks of school.