As parents and caregivers, we've all been there – we successfully manage one challenge, only to find ourselves face-to-face with another! We do our best to prepare ourselves for the unknowns ahead and just when we think we've got it figured out, a new level of the game begins – just as it was starting to feel like smoking is so last century, vaping enters the chat.

We were thrilled to see an incredible response this year, with over 150 entries! Thank you to everyone who participated—you truly made this decision the toughest (and most exciting) one yet. But while it was difficult to narrow so many beautiful submissions to the top ten, we are very happy to announce this year's winner and nine honourable mentions:

The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) is thrilled to announce that one of our own, St. Cecilia's Catholic School in Alliston, has been selected as a finalist in the 2023 Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) Student Short Video Contest!

A Grade 8 student from St. Marguerite D'Youville Catholic School in Barrie, is currently making her mark at Queen's Park as a Legislative Page. Representing the Barrie, Simcoe, Oro-Medonte riding, Chloe's achievement is an example of the exceptional qualities within our school communities.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School in Barrie Author visits SGA buzzed with excitement on Friday, December 1, 2023, as Junior and Intermediate students enthusiastically welcomed celebrated Canadian author Eric Walters to their school!

“Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.” It's a cautionary phrase we find on our side-view mirrors, reminding us that our perception can sometimes play tricks on us. We often set deadlines for ourselves, and the pressure to achieve milestones by a certain age can feel overwhelming. We carefully lay out our plans and then life does what life does and shakes things up, throwing us unexpected curves. We navigate through time, constantly shifting the goalpost - aiming for next week, next month, Monday (oh Monday, Monday…) wondering if our goals might always be distant specks on the horizon. Life’s rhythm doesn't always align with the timelines we set for ourselves. Careers, relationships, personal growth — it all unfolds at its own pace, and it's a marathon, not a sprint. As we focus our sights, we might be surprised to find that the dreams we thought were so distant are actually much closer than we think.