HURON PERTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board for the 2025-2026 Term

The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is proud to announce the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board for the 2025-26 term. At its Annual Meeting of the Board on Monday, November 17, 2025, Mary Helen Van Loon was re-acclaimed to the position of Chair of the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.

Beginning her service to the Board as a Trustee in 2017, Ms. Van Loon enters her sixth consecutive term as Chair of the Board. Ms. Van Loon represents the areas of Perth South, St. Marys, and West Perth and serves the following schools: Holy Name of Mary, St. Marys and St. Patrick's, Dublin.

In Ms. Van Loon's acceptance address to the Board of Trustees, she shared, "I would like to thank my nominator and seconder and all of you for your continued support. As we step into this new term, it is my hope and my prayer that our words and actions will indeed be "On Fire with the Spirit".

It is an exciting time. We are now immersed in the second year of our Strategic Plan. Staff, support staff and students have been working diligently to improve and master math and literacy skills.

Various opportunities for ongoing faith formation for staff and students, both individually and in group settings, are being offered. Seeds are being planted, nurtured and starting to grow. We are in the trenches, working toward our goals pushing past the challenges, celebrating the victories guided by the fire of the Spirit.

As we go forward, we anticipate that this next term will bring changes to our role as trustees. How that will manifest is hard to know, but as I look around this table I am deeply grateful for the people, trustees and administration, past and present, who have worked so diligently to be good stewards of our Huron-Perth System. Years of integrating faith and education, focus and vision all the while maintaining fiscal responsibility have left us in good standing. While the role of trustees remains uncertain we can take comfort in the words of St. Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing;
God only is changeless.
Patience gains all things.
Who has God wants nothing.
God alone suffices.

Catholic education and indeed, the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, is a witness to the truth of these words. We are indebted to the men and women who serve, and have served, as champions of our system. We are grateful as well, for all of you in this room, and for every person in our employ, who brings the light of Christ into their workplace daily. As we enter into this new term may we continue to awaken, illuminate and rejoice. We have much work to do and much to be grateful for. We are committed to supporting the hard work of carrying out the goals of our strategic plan and to creating spaces where our students feel safe, included, and are able to grow and learn in a system permeated with the joy of the Gospel. May Our Blessed Mother and St. André Bessette continue to intercede for us so that God's way will illuminate our path forward."

Additionally, at the Annual Board Meeting, Amy Cronin was acclaimed to the position of Vice-Chair of the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. Beginning her service to the Board as a Trustee in 2010, Ms. Cronin represents the areas of Huron East, Perth East, and North Perth and serves the following schools: St. James, Seaforth, St. Patrick's, Kinkora, St. Columban and St. Mary's, Listowel. Ms. Cronin has served as Chair of the Board and this will be her fifth term serving as Vice-Chair. Ms. Cronin shared that it is an honour to serve in Catholic education and work with the gifts that all of our trustees bring to table.

For more information regarding our Board of Trustees visit our Board website here.