NIAGARA CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Niagara Catholic announces 2025 Award of Distinction recipients

Niagara Catholic District School Board Director of Education Camillo Cipriano is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction.

Kathy Burtnik

Retired trustees and board chairs Kathy Burtnik and Frank Fera, and retired director of education John Crocco were chosen as this year's recipients for the Award of Distinction by the selection committee earlier this month. The decision was shared with trustees at the Committee of the Whole Meeting on February 11.

Public nominations for the Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction opened last fall, with an invitation to nominate a person or group for the award. To be considered, recipients must have made a notable, significant, and positive contribution to Catholic education.

Together, Mrs. Burtnik, Mr. Crocco, and Mr. Fera brought nearly a century of service to Catholic education in Niagara, supporting several generations of Catholic students and their families as they learned and grew in faith.

Director Cipriano offered his congratulations to Mrs. Burtnik, Mr. Crocco, and Mr. Fera.

"I am extremely happy to share the news that Kathy Burtnik, John Crocco, and Frank Fera will join a long list of exceptional contributors to Niagara Catholic and Catholic education in Ontario and in Canada on Niagara Catholic's Wall of Distinction," he said. "The Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction is Niagara Catholic's pinnacle of recognition for individuals who have committed their lives to the service of Catholic education, whether as priests, nuns, brothers, or lay-people; or as volunteers, builders, and leaders in our system, and to groups that have made significant contributions to Catholic education. This year's recipients have shown outstanding leadership throughout decades of service, and I am grateful for their commitment to strengthening the foundation of Niagara Catholic. I wholeheartedly offer my congratulations to Mrs. Burtnik, Mr. Crocco, and Mr. Fera for being selected as recipients, and I look forward to celebrating this recognition with them at the Niagara Foundation for Catholic Education Annual Benefit Gala in March."

Frank Fera

Danny Di Lorenzo, Chair of the Board, offered his congratulations and thanks to this year's recipients.

"On behalf of the Niagara Catholic Board of Trustees, it is my privilege to congratulate Kathy Burtnik, John Crocco, and Frank Fera for being selected as the 2025 recipients of the Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction," he said. "Each was a mainstay at Niagara Catholic for decades, and together they are an indelible part of the fabric of Niagara Catholic, dedicating countless hours of their lives in the interest of enriching the lives of generations of Catholic students. As a trustee and board chair, I am grateful for their many years of commitment to Catholic education locally, provincially, and nationally."

Tickets are still available for the Niagara Foundation for Catholic Education's Annual Benefit Gala, which will take place at Club Roma on Thursday, March 27. They are available through the Gala link on the Foundation Gala banner on niagaracatholic.ca.

John Crocco

To view the biographies of the 2025 Niagara Catholic Education Award of Distinction recipients, click here.