Champion Project Recipients Spring 2019

12 Grants

$20,650 Awarded

​5374 Students/Community Impacted
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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.

St. Vincent | Mindfulness & Prayer Club

The goal of this project is to take our current space a step further and provide our students and staff a Mindfulness space where they can practice prayer and mindfulness when needed. The idea is that the space could be used "as-is" or certain items (yoga mats or meditation cards or books) could be taken out to use in other spaces or outdoors. The space will also be used for a "Mindfulness Club" once established at the school, where students will lead one another through prayer and meditation.

Grandin | Chapel for School  

To create a chapel in Grandin School where students, staff and visitors can go for prayer and reflection. To engage in a collaborative project with our pastor from St. Joseph's Basilica - Father Robert Lee. To enhance the Catholic ethos of Grandin Elementary School.

St. Bonaventure | Don't Hide Your Light. Let it Shine. 

Our goal is to have SHINE DAYS at our school which will provide the opportunity for students to sign up for teacher led (guest speaker) sessions where they will build upon their talents or interests to help others. Some examples include card making for needy groups or to raise money for those in need, teaching older students cooperative games which they can share with younger students, praying in colour, drumming and singing, meditation and yoga etc ...

St. Charles | Morning Spark 

The goal of the Morning Spark project is to encourage staff and students to start their mornings with physical activity and wellness. St.Charles students and staff will be encouraged to ​develop healthy habits, skills, a sense of fun, along with the knowledge of how their bodies work. Participants will be exposed to a wide range of activities that improve the mind-body connection, begin the day with more focus and concentration and feel more motivated and invigorated.

Fr. Leo Green | Mother Mary 50th Anniversary 

​The Mother Mary 50th Anniversary Project; we would like to create a Rosary Garden. We have an outdoor classroom space at the front of our school and would like to add a Rosary Garden to bring our Catholicity to the forefront. We will need to purchase stepping stones, a landscaper with the stones and edging required to create a proper garden. 

St. Francis of Assisi | GLOW

GLOW Goals: 
1) To engage girls within an open forum to share and listen to their peers during discussions of relevant life themes, topics and values.
2) To connect girls of various educational, linguistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
3) To provide each girl who completes the GLOW program with many strategies to deal with in challenging situations. 
​4) To expose girls to various fitness opportunities to enhance strength, trust, confidence and mindfulness.

St. Paul | 100 Lunches

To allow our students to meet and help the marginalized citizens in our community by providing some basic necessities and share messages of love and friendship.

St. Thomas Aquinas | Tower Garden Project 

Every grade level has had the chance to participate in gardening, thanks to the generous donation of Dreams For Kids. However, last year when we applied for this grant, our school population was around 315. One year later, we are close to 550. This number is expected to continue to grow. To meet the demands of our growing school and to build on our amazing success we would like to purchase tower gardens. This would increase the amount of students that would be able to be involved as well as allow us to garden year round. 

St. Elizabeth Seton | STAR Assemblies 

Each month a class responsible for researching and presenting a character to the rest of the school. Once the students have learned about it, they try to emulate it for the month. Teachers submit names and at the next assembly we recognize 3 students from each class that best demonstrated that character. The students are rewarded with a religious bracelet and an ice cream sundae with the principal and vice principal during lunch time. 

Our Lady of Peace | Forest School

The funding will support the transportation costs for our two kindergarten classes who will each spend a different week on site - 6 full days of learning (three days for each full-day kindergarten class).  

Our Lady of the Prairies | Walking in God's Garden

Our goal is to create a space where all students and staff are welcome to bask in the beauty 01 nature that God has created. It can be used to study areas of curriculum such as plants and animals, life cycles, water cycles, and many more. It can be a place to be calm and reflective as last year we found it to be a safe space for students to self-regulate and focus themselves for learning. It can be used for exploring nature hands on, from the beginning, and for taking responsibility for life. It can be a place spirituality and worship surrounded by God's beauty. Overall, the goal of Walking in God's Garden is to give every one of our students a space to be hands on in their school community. 

Archbishop O'Leary | Alumni Hall

The intent of this project is to continue to showcase the history of the school so that students, family, community, church and alumni will be engaged the moment they walk through our doors. Archbishop O'Leary prides itself in the history of the school and the fabric of all those that have spent time in this building.