HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Seeds of Hope New Teacher Award

Erica Birtles, St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School teacher, is awarded the Seeds of Hope New Teacher Award for Excellence in Religious and Family Life Education, from the Catholic Association of Religious and Family Life Educators of Ontario (CARFLEO).

Every year the Catholic Association of Religious and Family Life Educators of Ontario (CARFLEO) invites Catholic School Boards from across the province of Ontario to nominate teachers for three distinct awards: The Archbishop Pocock Award for Excellence in Religious Education, The Fr. Angus McDougall Award for Excellence in Family Life Education, and The Inaugural Seeds of Hope Award New Teacher Award for Excellence in Religious Education. This year, Erica Birtles, a Religious Studies teacher at St. Thomas More Catholic SS received the Seeds of Hope New Teacher Award.

The Seeds of Hope New Teacher Award goes to an Ontario Catholic school religious educator who is within their first five years of teaching and demonstrates excellence in the following areas: care and commitment to engaging and supporting student learning in religious education and faith formation, possesses community mindedness by involving students in social justice/social engagement, models gratitude and instills hope in the community and strives to keep Jesus at the centre of their school community and at the centre of their own life.

Erica Birtles, a graduate of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, has been a full time Religious Education teacher at St. Thomas More since February 2022. Laura MacDonald, St. Thomas More Religious Studies Department Head, put forth the nomination form for Erica. In the letter of recommendation, Laura shared why Erica deserves this recognition. "Erica's lessons about Catholic values are not simply taught, they are embodied by Erica's character and in her interactions with others...For her colleagues, Erica models gratitude and instills hope in our school community through her words and actions...She is an outstanding teacher who embodies the values and principles of Catholic Education." In his congratulatory message, Principal Paul DiIanni writes that "Erica is an amazing talent, and the St. Thomas More Catholic school community is blessed to have her on our team."

Upon receiving the award at the CARFLEO ceremony, Erica shared that teaching has been her dream since grade 3, she is filled with gratitude that she is able to fulfill her vocation as a Catholic Educator. She concluded with "This award only wants me to continue to lead with love. To continually remind students that they have inherent value and are loved. Seeing my students be successful is one of my "whys".