awards Archives - Diocese of Venice

2025 Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools award recipients

Posted on April 3, 2025April 3, 2025 by Bob Reddy

The following is a list of Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools award recipients. The awards were presented on March 28, 2025, at a STREAM Symposium which included all Diocesan Catholic School faculty and staff. Awards include years of service, leadership, excellence in STREAM education, and exemplars of Catholic Education.

Legacy Award

The Legacy Award for 2025 goes to a faculty member who has been a teacher in the Diocese of Venice for 35 years: Mary (Binki) Ravazzoli of St. Martha Catholic School in Sarasota.

Blue Apple Award

The Blue Apple Award will be given to teachers who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in STREAM, technology, and innovation at your school. The color blue in the Bible has been used to described by scholars as denoting the Holy Spirit and Truth or service to God, as well as the waters of new creation in the book of Genesis, and most importantly the color blue is often associated with our Blessed Mother.

Teachers receiving the 2025 Blue Apple STREAM Leadership awards were nominated by the principals of the Diocese of Venice are:

Frances Shipman, St. Catherine Catholic School; Patrick Barock, St. Catherine Catholic School; Jody Kienzler, St. Joseph Catholic School; Angie Wilson, St. Martha Catholic School; Kathleen Wilde, St. Mary Academy; Diana Eidel, Incarnation Catholic School; Christine Jakoby, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Linda Slak, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Mike O’Malley, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School; Don Freitas, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School; Alexis Thwaites, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; Thomas James, St. Andrew Catholic School; Colleen Mattfeld, St. Andrew Catholic School; Megan Schuchman, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School; Melissa Zizzo, St. Ann Catholic School; Conner McCormick, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Ryan Krause, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School; Liz Kroll, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Brenda Balance, St. John Neumann Catholic High School.

Charitas (Crystal Cross Award)

The Crystal Cross Award is the highest Diocese of Venice Department of Education award given to teachers and faculty of Diocese of Venice Catholic schools. Crystal Cross Award recipients are nominated by their peers and colleagues as exemplars in Catholic education. Crystal Cross Award recipients are considered as teachers or administrators who:

Produce excellence in all that they do (teaching, leading, etc.)
Radiate with care and compassion towards students and colleagues
Treat others as brothers and sisters in Christ
Embodies the Catholic Faith inside and outside the classroom
Leads by example
Spreads Truth, Beauty and Goodness to those around them

Recipients are:

Rebecca Lazo, St. Catherine Catholic School; Juli Ferguson, St. Joseph Catholic School; Dr. Carol Darling, St. Joseph Catholic School; Sister Cathy Bonfield, SSND, St. Martha Catholic School; Anne Taylor, St. Mary Academy; Lexy Kaminski, Incarnation Catholic School; Elizabeth Akers, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Jane Doiron, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School; Lory Hendericks, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; Diana Villadolid, St. Andrew Catholic School; Maria Niebuhr, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School; Elizabeth Tenbarge, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School; Aimee Thompson, St. Ann Catholic School; Cassie Graham, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Linda Fox, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Lizz Curll-Chappell, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School; Denise York, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Jeanine Francois-Gonzalez, St. John Neumann Catholic High School.

Years of Service honorees

5 years of Service:

Patricia Foti-Iglesias, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School; Matt Ittig, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School; Christine Macaluso, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; Jenna Palmer, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; Juli Duzs, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Kim Koolakian, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Bethany Gunn, St. Andrew Catholic School; Samantha Jodice, St. Andrew Catholic School; Don Freitas, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School; Jeanette Sanchez, St. Catherine Catholic School; Dixie Kreulen, St. Catherine Catholic School; Patrick Barock, St. Catherine Catholic School; Steve Cirronella, St. John Neumann Catholic High School; Ana Han, St. John Neumann Catholic High School; Donna Noonan, St. John Neumann Catholic High School; Courtney Knox, St. Joseph Catholic School; Angie Wilson, St. Martha Catholic School; Becky Boydston, St. Martha Catholic School; Victoria Young, St. Martha Catholic School.

10 years of Service:

Scott Ruane, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School; Matt Byrne, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Cassie Graham, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Ester Sevilla, St. Ann Catholic School; Barry Shuck, St. Martha Catholic School; Katie Rierson, St. Mary Academy; Catherine Powers, St. Mary Academy; Kelly Metevia, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Jennifer Crouch, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Katie Schlotterbeck, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Jim Orr, Bishop Verot Catholic High School.

15 years of Service:

Mark Latell, Bishop Verot Catholic High School, John Nolan, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Tyler Graham, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria; Kim Ogburn, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; Julie Collins, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School; Heather Caamano, St. Ann Catholic School; Christine St. Jean, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School; Sara Delapaz, St. Catherine Catholic School; Christina Grun, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School; Leslie Lambert, St. Martha Catholic School.

20 years of Service:

Vanessa Lombardo, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School; David Burns, St. John Neumann Catholic High School, Melissa James, St. Martha Catholic School; Anna Benitez, Bishop Verot Catholic High School.

25 years of Service:

Jeff Tenbarge, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School; Denise Szedelyi. St. John Neumann Catholic High School; Krys Kolbe, St. Joseph Catholic School; Mary Dakin, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Kurt Prey, Bishop Verot Catholic High School; Cameron Logan, St Martha Catholic School.

30 years of Service:

Jennifer Miller, St. Joseph Catholic School; Mary Ellen Tavernier, St. Joseph Catholic School; Sister Cathy Bonfield, SSND, St. Martha Catholic School.

School Leadership Recognition

School principals of the 2024-2025 school year:

Suzie O’Grady, Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers; Ben Hopper, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Sarasota; Deacon Michael Pipitone, Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School, Venice; Amy Yager, Incarnation Catholic School, Sarasota; Dr. Marc Snyder, Donahue Academy at Ave Maria, Ave Maria; Bambi Giles, St. Andrew Catholic School, Cape Coral; Micah O’Connor, St. Ann Catholic School, Naples; Steven Cullipher, St. Catherine Catholic School, Sebring; Amy Barron, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School, Port Charlotte; Maria Niebuhr, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School, Naples; John Gulley, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Fort Myers; Sister Patricia Roche, FMA, St. John Neumann Catholic High School, Naples; Deborah Suddarth, St. Joseph Catholic School, Bradenton; Mari Jo Hanson, St. Martha Catholic School, Sarasota; Rebecca Reynolds, St. Mary Academy, Sarasota.

Catholic Scouting Awards presented – Diocese receives top honors

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Bob Reddy

Girls and boys from throughout the Diocese of Venice participated in Mass on May 5, 2024, at St. Agnes Parish in Naples, wearing the uniforms of their Scout troops.

Designated as “Scouting Sunday,” the Mass, which fell on the Sixth Sunday of Easter, was followed by an award ceremony in the Parish Hall to celebrate and recognize the girls and boys who commit themselves to scouting while remaining true to the Faith. Members of the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, American Heritage Girls (AHG), Fraternus, Troops of St. George, Trail Life USA, and the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society participated in the ceremony.

During a reception following Mass, Bishop Frank J. Dewane presented dozens of Scouting Religious Awards, with some Scouts receiving multiple honors.

Bishop Dewane told the Scouts that it is his prayer that the awards will continually give them encouragement to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

“Scouting, and similar programs, provide a unique opportunity for young people to grow in virtue. This is a crucial aspect in the formation of solid character and in becoming a good citizen,” Bishop Dewane said. “Catholic Scouting in particular, provides opportunities to grow in friendship with the Lord Jesus and to be rooted ever more deeply in the His Holy, Catholic Church.”

The awards earned from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) Religious Activities Awards included: Rosary Series, Marian Series, Faith Series, Footsteps of American Saints and Modern Saints. Diocesan Scout Awards included: Boy Jesus, Child of God, Kristallnacht, Mother Mary, and Our Lady. The National Committee Boy Scout Awards included: Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, and St. John the Baptist. American Heritage Girls Scouting Awards included: Tenderheart Faith – God and My Family, Explorer Faith – God and My Country, and Pioneer Faith – God and My Community, and Patriot Faith – Women of Integrity (these awards are earned in different segments). Each award requires the Scout to participate in different activities which help increase their Faith. The awards become more difficult to earn as the Scout advances.

New to the 2024 Scouting Faith Series was the National Eucharistic Revival patch, which was created as part of the ongoing U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops initiative to help grow a greater devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. The goal of the Eucharistic Revival Scout activities was to instill sacramental and prayer practices regarding the Eucharist in the Scouts. To earn the patch, each Scout was required to attend weekly Mass, participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, take part in a Eucharistic Procession, pray the rosary, and read about the Eucharistic miracles. At the award ceremony, five Boy Scouts were so honored as were all members of American Heritage Girls Troop FL 1203, of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Fort Myers.

In part due to this accomplishment, Troop FL 1203 was recognized and awarded a Pope Paul VI National Catholic Quality Unit Award. In addition, an adult honor went to Troop FL 1203 leader Kristen Tucker. Tucker was presented the Bronze Pelican Award, which recognizes an adult’s unique and outstanding contributions to the spiritual development of Catholic youth. Bronze symbolizes spiritual strength, while the pelican is an early Christian symbol for self-sacrifice.

During the ceremony, Diocesan Scout Awards Coordinator Bob Paquette presented Bishop Dewane with the Quality Diocese Award, which is given to a Diocese for its commitment to supporting Catholic Scouting. This is the 15th year in a row the Diocese of Venice has received this award. Historically, about 40% of the Dioceses qualify for this important award.

Recognizing the hard work and commitment that the Scouts from throughout the Diocese of Venice make to earn the Catholic Religious Awards, Bishop Dewane congratulated each of the award recipients and all Scouts.

Also participating in the ceremony was National Committee Member Connie Kantor, and James Gontis, Diocesan Director of Evangelization.

Scouting Awards presented – Diocese given top honors

Posted on June 2, 2023June 2, 2023 by Bob Reddy

Girls and boys from throughout the Diocese of Venice participated in Mass on May 21, 2023, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice wearing the uniforms of their Scout troop.

Designated as “Scouting Sunday,” the Mass, which fell on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, was followed by an award ceremony in the Parish Hall to celebrate and recognize the girls and boys who commit themselves to scouting while remaining true to the Faith. Members of the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, American Heritage Girls (AHG), Fraternus, Troops of St. George, Trail Life USA, and the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society participated in the ceremony.

During a reception following Mass, Bishop Frank J. Dewane presented dozens of Scouting Religious Awards, with some Scouts receiving multiple honors.

Bishop Dewane told the Scouts that it is his prayer that the awards will continually give them encouragement to strive forward in their relationship with the Lord.

The awards earned from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) Religious Activities Awards included: Rosary Series, Marian Series, Faith Series, Footsteps of American Saints and Modern Saints. Diocesan Scout Awards included: Child of God, Our Lady, Mother Mary, Queen of the Rosary, Spirit Alive, and Pillars of Faith. The National Committee Boy Scout Awards included: Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, and Ad Altare Dei. American Heritage Girls Scouting Awards included: Tenderheart Faith – God and My Family, Explorer Faith – God and My Country, and Explorer Faith – God and My Community, and Patriot Faith – Women of Integrity (these awards are earned in different segments). Each award requires the Scout to participate in different activities which help increase their Faith. The awards become more difficult to earn as the Scout advances.

Additionally, the Pope Paul VI National Catholic Quality Unit Award was presented to Pack 226, of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples, and American Heritage Girls Troop FL1203, of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Fort Myers.

During the ceremony, Diocesan Scout Awards Coordinator Bob Paquette presented Bishop Dewane with the Quality Diocese Award, which is given to a Diocese for its commitment to supporting Catholic Scouting. This is the 14th year in a row the Diocese of Venice has received this award. Historically, less than half of the Dioceses qualify for this important award.

Participating in the ceremony was Scouts Chaplain Father Lawton Lang, who is an Eagle Scout, National Committee Member Connie Kantor, as well as Marthamaria Morales, Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who served as the emcee.