Champion Project Recipients Fall 2017

23 Grants


$36,674 Awarded


​8500 Students/Community Impacted


As one of the six Project Funds supported by the Foundation, it is our hope that our Champion Projects help the children and youth at ECS to: nurture their moral and spiritual development; develop their leadership and team-building skills; and to practice their Catholic social justice responsibilities.


Sister Annata Brockman | What Would Sister Do? 

This project is meant to teach students the value of volunteering. With growing concerns of children's physical and mental health the school wants to provide students with experiences that give them a sense of purpose and fulfillment by increasing self-confidence.  

St. Basil | Lunchtime Game Squad

The goal is for students to make connections with children from different grades and different programs, and create a positive environment within the school. This project will promote inclusiveness and belonging. By creating a club, where there are no try outs and everyone is encouraged to take part, students can feel a stronger sense of belonging and connection to those around them and the family of St. Basil. 

Anne Fitzgerald | Compassion Buddies

​The goal of this project is to create joint activities for our seniors and students. They would have the opportunity to interact and strengthen their faith, relationships and acceptance of seniors in the community. 

Louis St. Laurent | Be a part of the Louis puzzle

This project will reinforce the idea of community and belonging. Students will get together to showcase their diverse cultures during a week of Multicultural activities. 

St. Justin School | Champions of Learning

Reinvent and update our outdated library space and book collection, in order to provide a rich learning environment for the entire St. Justin community. In keeping with the current District and School Growth Plans, every effort will be made to provide a rich environment which will enhance foundational competencies in literacy and numeracy. 

St. Monica | Permanent Tipi Structure

As part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's work the school is using their spirit buddy time to infuse Cree teachings into their daily school life with tipi poles as guidelines. In order to commemorate the year's spirit buddy work is a permanent tipi structure. 

St. Mary & St. Anne Schools | Honouring our Mothers Faith Retreat 

The goal is to organize a joint Faith Day where students will develop an understanding of connectedness within the district. Develop a sense of helping others through the collection of Food Bank items and develop an appreciation for the power of prayer, especially the rosary.  

St. Joseph High School | Fitness 

The goal of the project is to create a space where students, teammates, and friends could go to train and promote leadership in each other and themselves. 

St. Pius X  | Outdoor Investigation Station | Lunches for the Less Fortunate 

The goal of the Outdoor Investigation Station is to offer our students an alternative and safe learning space to explore in addition to their current classroom. To foster student learning and extend it past just their classroom and the children to know that learning can take place anywhere and at any time.

The goal of Lunches for the Less Fortunate project is to re-iterate to our students that we use our hands to help more than just ourselves. We must use our hands for more than just selfish things and use our hands for good. The students will prepare meals for the families at Ronald MacDonald House and also deliver lunches to those less fortunate in downtown Edmonton. 

St. Mark | The FORCE of FAITH

The goal of this Faith Day Champion Project is to help grow closer to the hands and heart of God and bond as a school community. It will be held  the week of St. Mark's Feast Day. The day will begin with a breakfast as a school family together in the gym. This breakfast, prepared by our foods students would also host our invited guests . We will also have faith based activities such as crafts, where students can work and communicate together through a faith-filled experience. 

Our Lady of Peace | Faith Development Day: Our Journey to Lent

The goal of the project is to organize a student Faith Day. Students (in multi-age groupings) will travel to three different sessions. Each session will be half an hour. We are hoping to purchase wood crosses for our students to decorate and bring home in time for Lent.

Mary Hanley | Hearts and Hands

The Hearts and Hands Club is open to students in all grades. They are invited to participate in a variety of service projects. Some of the service projects have already been determined, but students are encouraged to initiate their own projects.
The Champion Projects Fund, would help build a raised community garden on school grounds, where students would build, plant, and nurture fruits and vegetables that would be available to the community.

​Christ the King | Makerspace

The goal of this project is to add tools and materials to the school's makerspace so a greater number of students have the opportunity to engage in learning opportunities that allow them to solve problems, explore their passions and take up meaningful and relevant real world challenges.

​St. Charles | Learn! Eat! Grow in Christ! 

The goal of Learn! Eat! Grow in Christ! is to provide healthy and locally grown produce to  low-income members in our community, while learning about nutrition and learning about  being the Hands that Serve. Students will gain a greater awareness and understanding of healthy food choices and serving others. 

Bishop Motiuk | Leadership Club

The goal of this project is to create a Christ-centered leadership team that will lead like Jesus  and take action within our community through social justice initiatives. This extra-curricular activity will give the students an opportunity to hone their leadership, management, organizational and communication skills through activities in our local school community and working with the Ronald McDonald House. 

​St. Lucy | Learning Commons

The goal of the project is to create a learning space that enhances our Catholic identity. To provide faith-based, hand-on learning experiences to address and challenge individual student learning needs, beyond the scope of the regular classroom setting. To create a welcoming and sacred space which encourages students and teachers to extend their learning outside of the regular classroom environment.

Father Michael Mireau | Literature to Support Social Emotional Learning 

The project aims to address social and emotional well-being through literature. The resources will serve as a springboard to learning experiences which contribute to the growth of students and assist in developing their potential. While all students will benefit, our school diversity profile indicates that a significant number of students have needs related to mental health, severe behaviour and autism. A diversity of approaches are required to reach these students.

​St. Thomas Aquinas | Wellness Project

​The goal of this project is to use a whole school approach to immerse students in activities that promote physical and emotional health and well being, as outlined in Edmonton Catholic Schools Mental Health Strategic Plan. Providing students with hands on opportunities to expand their nutritional, physical and mental health literacy will teach and encourage them to make healthier lifestyle choices. 

​St. Francis of Assisi | Reconciliation through Ways of Knowing

​The creation of ethnocultural items such as drumsticks, rattles and gifts is accompanied by many traditional life teachings, such respect, honor, humility, kindness, charity, compassion. While making gender appropriate cultural items, students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, will learn these life messages in a culturally appropriate and relevant manner.

​John Paul I | Rooted in Jesus, Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve

Escue la John Paul 1 School (JP1) students, Grade 1 to 6, would have the opportunity to attend mass at  Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples. This celebration of faith would engage the students in a  partnership with the downtown community and with the Indigenous people who serve this parish. The students of JP1 would work towards serving the needs of this Parish through donations/fundraising and engaging in cultural and social aspects of the community it supports. 

​H.E. Beriault | Reel Learning

The goal of the project is to help students realize that engaging in text is an active process. Our student's have grown up in a technological era where they have been bombarded with visuals depictions, but seldom stop to examine. An important reading skill, that improves comprehension, is the visualization of text. Some students are unable to visualize the scenes in their minds because they are limited by their background knowledge. The grant will support the purchase of audio visual learning materials. 

​St. Nicholas | Food for Life

The goal of the project is to build an outdoor garden. The overall goal is to instill a sense of dignity and respect. Teach students about environmental stewardship and provide a space for reflection.