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DURING CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK 2010 The York Catholic District School Board salutes our: D istinguished alumni OPERA SINGER MICHELLE Danese LAWYER BARRY Munro NEWS ANCHOR ROSIE Del Campo VISUAL ARTIST BRENDAN Fernandes GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER ERICA Stillo FASHION DESIGNERS DEAN & DAN Caten 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. 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. 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 Saska- toon. 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. 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. 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. 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. Printed on Recycled Paper This poster is also available online at www.ycdsb.ca. 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
