The below article was posted by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) on their website.

Meet Andrea Chiappetta - The Great Effects of Getting Involved

If you’re seeking a prime example of student involvement, look no further than Andrea Chiappetta.

The Grade 12 student at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in Barrie is president of his student council, promotes inclusion with the Character Through Action Committee and maintains a 91 per cent average.

He’s also the student trustee for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, which sees him represent more than 20,000 of his fellow students.

It’s through this work that he helped implement the Effective Catholics program.

“I found that a lot of students, including me, were unaware of how many expectations there really were for Catholic graduates,” he said. “There’s more to it than being nice, and kind, and compassionate.”

The school board outlines qualities that effective Catholics are expected to embody — that they be discerning believers, effective communicators, caring family members and responsible citizens. The program will recognize students who exemplify these qualities in an effort to strengthen students’ sense of identity and pride in Catholic values.

It’s also helps students motivate each other to be more aware of their faith and the meaning that comes from it.

It’s this kind of involvement that Chiappetta says he’s appreciated about the Catholic school system. He said the opportunity to share experiences and faith with others encourages students to form deeper bonds and fosters a greater sense of community.

Chiappetta encourages his peers to get involved, enabling them to thrive socially and academically. Help us continue our work by sharing this story with your community.

Together, we are building communities of faith.

We would like to thank Andrea for his dedication to our board and wish him the very best of luck in his post-secondary education and future endeavours.