NIAGARA CATHOLIC 2017 GRADUATION RATE

SECOND HIGHEST IN ONTARIO’S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE SCHOOL BOARDS FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

The Ontario Ministry of Education has released the 2017 graduation rates for all publicly funded schools in Ontario. For the fourth consecutive year, Niagara Catholic’s four-year graduation rate of 91.3 per cent has placed second among the 57 English-language school boards in Ontario. Niagara Catholic was sixth out of all 72 Ontario school boards. Niagara Catholic’s five-year graduation rate of 93.2 per cent places the Board third among all English-language District School Boards, and sixth among all 72 Ontario school boards.

The Board’s four-year graduation rate is the 13.3 per cent above provincial averages of 79.8 per cent, and 4.8 per cent above the provincial rate of 86.3 per cent for students who took five years to complete the required number of credits to receive their Ontario Secondary School Graduation Diploma.

Niagara Catholic’s outstanding graduation rates fulfill a strategy laid out in the Board’s Vision 2020 Strategic Plan to consistently exceed the Ministry of Education’s goal of a province-wide graduation rate of 85 per cent. This multi-year trend of top-percentile performance is evidence of the leadership, support and contributions of our Board, staff and partners in Catholic education, which we celebrate every day.

September: Month in Review

Saint Michael Seniors beat Reds 20-0

By Bernie Puchalski - September 27, 2018

BP Sports Picture Football coaches are loathe to take any pleasure in moral victories, but Denis Morris senior coach Antony Volante was feeling a little better about his squad even though it fell 20-0 to the visiting Saint Michael Mustangs Thursday in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association action. His team trailed only 7-0 at the half and gave up two scores in the fourth quarter in what was a closer game than the final score indicated. It was a much better performance for the Reds compared to their 43-2 shellacking last week at the hands of the Blessed Trinity Thunder.

“We had a good week of practice and the boys came in and played hard until the end and that is what we are looking for,” Volante said. “We want to play every down to the best our ability and go from there.” Volante felt the biggest difference compared to last week was having played that one game. “Even though it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, the organization and the extra week of practice helped us get more prepared,” he said. “Saint Mike’s is a great team and they made a couple of plays and we didn’t. “I think we had a good fighting chance in that game and we didn’t pull it out.”

Mustangs QB sparks team

By Bernie Puchalski

- September 21, 2018

Saint Michael’s senior football quarterback Zack Keldson didn’t look like he was playing his first regular season game of 2018 Friday.

The 12B student turned in a mistake-free performance to spark the visiting Mustangs to a 23-3 victory over the Lakeshore Catholic Gators in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play.

Keldson had two long runs for first downs and a 57-yard TD pass to Riley Hart to lead the team’s offence.

“There’s a lot of things I like about Zack,” Saint Michael head coach Keith Bomberry said. “I have coached him for five years and he makes good decisions, especially in this game, holding the ball and not forcing it.

“He throws the ball well and he is really getting a hang of the read option game.”

Senior Mustangs Aim High

Bernie Puchalski - September 10, 2018

The Saint Michael’s Mustangs senior football team is eyeing a long ride deep into the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association playoffs.

“I am looking forward to this season because we are finally that team,” 12B player Riley Hart said. “We have a lot of returning 12Bs and a lot of those 12Bs were starters last year.

bp sportsniagara 091718 mustangs — *St. Michael’s football player Riley Hart.*

“We have a ton of talent coming back and we have so much talent on the team, that we almost don’t know what to do with it.”

St. Michael co-coach Keith Bomberry also likes where the Saint Michael football program is in 2018.

“We’re on the rise and I think we are trending upwards now,” he said. “We are getting better numbers, guys are committed and we have a number of 12Bs that came back.”

Those returning 12Bs are focused.

“They want to play football, they want to compete at this level; not only against their teammates here at St. Mike’s, but with their friends and foes across the Niagara region and in the city,” Bomberry said.

Saint Michael’s boasts talent throughout its roster.

“We have good group of 12s and right now are 11s are really showing up,” he said. We have five or six Grade 11s that are contributing right off the bat.”

All of the above has the Mustangs feeling much more optimistic than this time next year.

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