Our Catholic School Council candidates for the 2022-2023 Catholic School Council are:
Evelyn Bak Mauro; Lori Butler; Marjorie Celis; Maria Chirivella; Alex Christopoulos; Mary Di Giovanni; Karen Emmerson; Kim Glean; Tiany Knowlen; Wilson Lai; Ray Liu; Engy Makari; Lori McGrath; Alex Naghi; Tamara Olvos; Paolo Panetta; Mathew Raso; Breeda Ronco; Andrea Throuvalas; Monica Topping; P Y
Below are some submitted information by our candidates:
Evelyn Bak Mauro-Evelyn has been a resident of Stouffville since 2010 and currently has two children enrolled at St. Mark’s (Grade 4 and 5). In addition to practicing and owning a successful business since 2005, Evelyn teaches part-time and has been active in her children’s sport teams as a volunteer coach/assistant. She is looking forward to bringing her skill set to the CSC and working alongside other council members to help promote, organize and fundraise for various programs at St. Mark.
Lori Butler-
Marjorie Celis-
Maria Chirivella-I was born in Venezuela, studied physical therapy and immigrated to Canada 10 years ago. I spent the first 3 years of my stay in Canada in Toronto, getting used to the culture and the language. During that time I met my wonderful husband, and moved to Ajax ON. We got married and had Matias shortly after that. We moved to Stouffville in May 2021, loving the small town charm. I have become friends with many of the neighbours and people around the community. I am happy and proud to say that I officially became a Canadian citizen over a year ago. I am looking forward to helping serve the community with my involvement with the school.
Alex Christopoulos- As Chief Financial Officer of the Icon Group of Companies, his mandates include but are not limited to, upholding strong financial management and accountability while providing timely, accurate, and reliable financial expertise. He is also responsible for legal services, investments, expansion, procurement, facility, IT and risk management, corporate services and logistics. As a member of the executive management team, Alex is also accountable for the company’s day-to-day operations, corporate policy development and maintaining positive relationship with lending institutions and external auditors. Alex forges strong bonds through trust and rapport. His approachable demeanor allows him to connect with people, partners, staff, vendors and clients. Alex has been the treasurer on the board of Directors for the Toronto Waldorf School for 5 years before moving his kids to Saint Mark’s. He is active in the community in giving back as a support for Geneva Centre (Centre for Children on the Autism Spectrum) and running an event every year raising over 40K per year. Also an volunteer soccer coach to his 3 Children in Stouffville. His motivation and his persistent “get things done” attitude continue propel Icon‘s momentum forward; while his welcoming leadership style guides and inspires his staff to walk with him on the path of success. He takes personal interest in developing and harnessing people’s strengths to perform above and beyond their own expectations. With an enthusiastic and genuine philosophy on life, Alex radiates a sincere passion for business values and is a crucial member of the company. Personally, Alex and his partner Andrea, have three adorable sons, George, Dean and Lucas. His favorite sports include soccer and golf.
Mary Di Giovanni- Non-teaching staff member to be elected by non teaching St. Mark staff- not a candidate for voting member to council.
Karen Emmerson-Non-teaching staff member to be elected by non teaching St. Mark staff- not a candidate for voting member to council.
Kim Glean- My name is Kim Glean and I have two children at St. Mark (SK and Grade 3). I would like to join the St. Mark Elementary Catholic School Council to become more involved in our children’s growth and learning in both the school and our awesome community.
I am a former teacher and department head (in British Columbia) with a lot work and volunteer experience with various charity organizations, event planning, networking and digital marketing.
I am hoping my extensive experience in both the school and community environment would help to play a valuable role as a Parent Council member at St. Mark.
Tiany Knowlen-Non-teaching staff member to be elected by non teaching St. Mark staff- not a candidate for voting member to council.
Wilson Lai-
Ray Liu-
Engy Makari-
Lori McGrath- My name is Lori McGrath. I have 3 boys, 2 of which are former St. Mark students and my youngest son Matthew, is currently in grade 3 at St. Mark.
I have been an elected member on the St. Mark Catholic School Council for the past 12 years and have at times held executive positions of both Co-Chair and Chair.
I am nominating myself again to be a voting member on Council, as I like to volunteer my time and support the staff, students and families to enhance the life experiences of our children.
I look forward to working with the students, staff and families again in all things council related for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Thank You.
Alex Naghi-
Tamara Olvos-Active School Travel’ parent representative. As many would agree; I believe strongly in the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. This includes, Parents, teachers, principals & those dedicated to volunteer organizations that run programming to further enrich our children’s educational careers. Our participation in our children’s education doesn’t stop at the the school doors. I’d like to join the many voices in the Catholic School Council. It is when we bring those voices together, that we achieve balance & change when necessary,while exemplifying the fundamentals of stewardship to our children. As a member of council, I’d like to focus on building a strong parent community and putting emphasis on Active School Travel.
Paolo Panetta-
Mathew Raso-Hello, my name is Mathew Raso, and I am a parent of a Grade 2 student at St. Mark’s. I have lived in Stouffville with my family for the past 10 years. I am a Professional Engineer, working in the Infrastructure industry. With over 15 years of work experience, I’ve had the opportunity to deliver some of Canada’s largest highway and transit projects. I believe I am a multi-faceted individual able to drive performance, problem solve, and connect with people to manage and produce positive outcomes. This summer, I had the pleasure of coaching my child’s soccer team here in town, which resulted in a great experience for our entire team, both parents and kids.
In my spare time, I enjoy cycling. With the kids: we like being outdoors, and enjoying our town’s beautiful amenities and nature spaces with our friends and community members.
My family’s experience with the St. Mark’s community has been very positive, which has motivated me to apply for school counsel. If elected, this year would be my first on council. I am interested in volunteering my time to support our kids through fundraising, good governance, and other council & community building initiatives. I would be honoured to engage in anyway which would maximize results, and produce a great school year for our kids.
Breeda Ronco- I have been a member of the Saint Mark Catholic School Counsel for the past two years. I am interested in volunteering my time again this year so that I can give back to the school community that my children will be an part of for many years to come. I would be honoured to be a member of the parent counsel and wish to help out in any way that I can. I would love the opportunity to share my time and contribute to making this a wonderful year for all the children and the school community.
I am a teacher in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. I have had the privilege of teaching math and physics to high school students since 2011. I have always enjoyed being an integral part of a school community. Outside of the classroom, it brings me joy to be a teacher facilitator in student leadership and to offer yoga as an extra curricular activity. Inside the classroom, I strive to provide a fun and safe learning environment for my students. It is so rewarding to help children reach their full potential, both academically and interpersonally.
I am a mother of four children, two of whom are students at Saint Mark. My son, Michael, is in grade three and my daughter, Everleigh, is in grade one. I am currently home on maternity leave with my daughters Adelynn, two, and Vivienne, six week.
Andrea Throuvalas-I am a parent of 3 boys at St Mark who joined the school last year. They are 5, 7 and 9 years old.
Coming from the Toronto Waldorf school in 2021, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my heart was warmed by the virtues, and values upheld at St Mark and more love and support than I could’ve ever hoped for from the teaching and supporting staff here. I hope to be able to contribute to that as a parent council member this year. If elected, this would be my first year sitting on the SMK parent council.
My motivation for joining council is to support students, teachers and staff in creating a transparent and collaborative community, to foster more opportunities for parent engagement as we move out of the Covid years, and to help enrich our children’s school life in any way I can.
My family and I have lived in the town of Stouffville for the last 5 years but I have ties to the town that span from 30 years ago. It brings me great joy to have been witness to the transformation of this budding town and to be a part of the fabric of this now beautiful community once again.
I am an active parent and community member. I have spent many years giving back to my community and various charities both personally and since becoming a parent, with the support of my family. I spent over a decade as an educator of children with autism, as a behaviour therapist at the Toronto Partnership for Autism Services (TPAS) and within the private sector, before pivoting to a new career path more recently. There, I worked closely with teachers, support staff and administration within the public and Catholic school boards to facilitate the transition and integration of children with special needs into the school board. I also spent 3 years teaching kindergarten Greek as a second language and dance at a private school in Toronto. I was a regular volunteer at school events last year and participated in many initiatives at the Toronto Waldorf school during our time there.
Alongside my ex-husband Alex Christopoulos, who served as last year’s Treasure of the board, I am committed to supporting our school in providing the best possible opportunities and experiences for all students at St Mark. It takes all the individual stripes coming together collectively to make up the beach ball and I feel I have a variety of insights and perspectives that could enrich our school council in many ways. It would bring me great pleasure to invest of myself, continue to be involved and make an impactful contribution to the St Mark community as a parent council member for the 2022-2023 school year.
I appreciate your consideration,
Andrea Throuvalas
Monica Topping- This will be my third year to work on parent council. I have two children at St. Mark’s school. I consider St. Mark’s to be more than a school, more like a big family. I would like to help in any way I can to ensure our students have a great year!
P Y-