A proud STMC graduate from the Class of 1974, Hank Bouwman returned to his alma mater and served generations of students as a teacher, academic counsellor, and leader within our Alumni Community.

While formally retired from teaching and academic counselling duties in 2026, Mr. Bouwman still maintains a presence here at STMC.

Here’s a snippet of his message to the alumni community:

As many of you may know, following my retirement from the classroom, I was asked to step into a new role within the Alumni and Community Relations Department. Although I have been around STMC since 1969—and no, that is not a typo!—I am still getting used to my new routine. I only come into the school on Wednesdays, which means I get to spend less time commuting, but still have an invigorating opportunity to interact with the students who remember this “old man”.

My ultimate goal is to help enhance our alumni network, creating an organization that continues to serve your needs, the school’s needs, and the needs of society. This year, STMC has adopted “The Good Seed Will Grow” as its theme. I have always loved seeing examples of our Knights of Old take what they have learned to make a positive difference in the world as leaders in our churches, families, athletics, businesses, academics, and community service.

STMC has always been and will continue to be a place you go to get a great education, but it has also been a place you go from to make the world a better place. Moving forward, among other things, I want to use my role to shine a spotlight on these many diverse achievements.

Bye for now. Hope our paths cross soon!

Read the entire message: HERE

School Theme 2026-2027

Each year at STMC, we choose a school theme to help guide us throughout the year. Last year, our theme was “Live Jesus in Our Hearts Forever.” This year, our theme is “The Good Seed Will Grow.”

The theme comes from Jesus’ parable of the seed growing quietly in the ground. It is a reminder that many of the good things we do may not have an immediate impact. A kind word, encouragement, an act of service, or simply being present for someone can make a difference that we may not see until much later.

This connects closely to the life of Blessed Edmund Rice. When Edmund began helping and educating young people in Ireland, he could not have known how far that work would eventually spread. The seeds he planted continue to grow today in schools and communities around the world, including STMC.

Our staff began the year reflecting on this theme during our Staff Faith Day. As a school community, we are encouraged to think about the seeds we are planting in one another each day and to trust that, with time and care, the good seed will grow.

Catholic Social Teaching: Subsidiarity

STMC Focus (Nov-Dec)

Excerpt from Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas:

Building a world in which everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part, for “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). All are given their own section of the wall: scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs and workers, educators and legislators, civil society, popular movements and faith communities. This is the logic of subsidiarity, which values the cooperation between generations, peoples, disciplines and cultures as the best way for fostering stability, prosperity and peace. We should not be intimidated by tensions or differences because they can become creative forces when guided by shared responsibility. 

Reverence for Life (THRIVE)

The STMC Reverence for Life (THRIVE) Team is excited for a new school year. Recently, members of our team attended a Reverence for Life Leadership Retreat at Carmel Hill in Deroche, where they connected with students from other Catholic schools, shared ideas, planned initiatives for the year, and helped prepare for the upcoming Reverence for Life Expo Conference.

The Reverence for Life Team has an aim to help promote the dignity and value of every human life. Rooted in our Catholic faith, the team encourages students to recognize that every person is created in the image of God and deserves love, respect, compassion, and dignity. From caring for the vulnerable and standing up for those without a voice to supporting others in our own school community, Reverence for Life challenges us to put our faith into action.

Our team has several exciting initiatives planned throughout the year, including:

• November – All Souls Month: Honouring and remembering loved ones who have passed away and celebrating the lasting impact of their lives.
• December 5 – Archbishop’s Reverence for Life Mass: at the Holy Rosary Cathedral
• January – Reverence for Life Leadership Summit:
• February – THINKFAST School event: more details to come

Reverence for Life Expo Conference: Helping bring students together to celebrate and promote a culture of life.

Spring: All abilities

All STMC students are welcome to join THRIVE! The team meets bi-weekly on Wednesdays.

Students interested in getting involved are encouraged to speak with Mr. Mattiazzo

Remembrance Day Mass & Poppy Campaign

On Tuesday, November 10th, the St. Thomas More Collegiate community will gather for our annual Remembrance Day Mass and Service.

The celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the school gymnasium, with Mass celebrated by Father McGuckin. Together, we will gather in prayer to remember those who have gone before us and reflect on our shared responsibility to be instruments of peace in our world.

Following Mass, our annual Remembrance Day Service will pay special tribute to our Fallen Knights, beloved members of the STMC community who have passed away. The service will also honour the courage and sacrifices of Canadian veterans, fallen soldiers, and all those who have served in times of war and conflict.

Through prayer, reflection, music, and traditional acts of remembrance, we will honour their legacies and recognize the importance of gratitude, sacrifice, and working toward peace.

Students are also invited to bring a toonie (or more) as a donation in exchange for a poppy. Funds raised support veterans and their families in our community through the Royal Canadian Legion.

This meaningful tradition reminds us that remembrance is more than looking back at the past. It is a commitment to building a future rooted in peace, compassion, and respect for the dignity of every human life.

We Will Remember Them. Lest We Forget.

Advent Confessions

As we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ this Advent season, all STMC students will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at Our Lady of Mercy Parish on Tuesday, December 1st and Wednesday, December 2nd.

Grade 8 and 12 students will attend on Tuesday, December 1st, while Grade 9 and 11 students will attend on Wednesday, December 2nd. Grade 10 students will be scheduled across both days.

Advent is a special time of preparation, reflection, and renewal. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, students are invited to experience God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness as they prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the wonderful priests of our local deanery who generously give their time to make this meaningful opportunity available to our entire school community. Their continued support and dedication to our students are truly appreciated.

May this Advent season be a time of peace, hope, and spiritual renewal for all our STMC Knights.

Faith Journey – Preparing for the Sacraments

STMC is excited to offer a new faith development program for students who have not yet received all of their sacraments or are interested in becoming Catholic.

Led by Father Nick Meisl and STMC Staff and student leaders, the program will take place on Fridays and provide students with an opportunity to explore their faith, ask questions, and prepare to receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.

The program is open to students in Grades 8–12, including those simply interested in learning more about their Catholic faith. We will meet bi-weekly in the chapel on Fridays at lunch beginning on Friday, November 13.
More details will follow. Interested students and families are encouraged to contact Mr. Mattiazzo in Campus Ministry.

Student Volunteer Opportunities

• 12th Avenue Elementary – Breakfast Program
  Volunteers are needed daily from 8:00–9:15 AM to help prepare and serve breakfast to elementary students. This is a wonderful opportunity to start your day by serving others and supporting our neighbouring school.
• 12th Avenue Elementary – Math Tutoring
  STMC students are also needed to assist Grade 6 and 7 students with math support and tutoring at 12th Avenue Elementary.When: Monday to Wednesday, during STMC’s first blockImportant: Students must make arrangements with their first-block teacher in advance to receive permission to participate.This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge, develop leadership skills, and make a positive impact on younger students.

Upcoming:

• St. Mark’s Breakfast at STMC – Saturday, November 14
  Volunteers are needed to help make this special community event a success!
  Friday, November 13: Help with event setup.
  Saturday, November 14: Assist with serving breakfast and supporting the event.
  Students are welcome to volunteer on either day or both days.
  Interested in helping? Please see the Campus Ministry Board for more information or to sign up.
• Upcoming: Open House Tour Guides – Tuesday, December 8
  Details coming soon!

For more information on any of these opportunities, please see Mr. Mattiazzo.

ACTION Team

This year’s ACTION Team consists of grade 11 students Alisha Barts, Skylar Slogan, Brayden Aspinall and Jordan Jouhal. These four students had the opportunity to travel to New Jersey to be a part of the ACTION Student Workshop. This workshop brings together students of Edmund Rice schools from around the world.

This year we had students from Canada, the USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, South Africa and Ireland. Continuing the traditions and work of Edmund Rice schools they learned about advocacy and helping those marginalized in our community and beyond. This year these students will be developing and executing advocacy and service projects focused on homelessness and poverty, children’s rights and eco-justice.

These students represented STMC incredibly well at the workshop and they will be great leaders in our community.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is less than a month away. On December 1, our community comes together for STMC’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Tuition and government funding don’t cover the full cost of an STMC education. The difference comes from the generosity of families, alumni, and friends.

Last year, our community came together and reached our $50,000 goal. This year, we’re aiming even higher: $75,000. Every dollar goes directly to the five arms of the Knights Cross: Faith, Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Advocacy. Each gift, large or small, keeps STMC accessible and strengthens the programs that help every student learn, lead, and serve. Let’s reach it again, for our Knights.

Check out our Giving Tuesday video, featuring Sevilla and Ethan:

Candy Drive

Calling All Knights: Candy Donations Needed by November 9th!

Our Junior Blessed Edmund Rice Team (BERT) is calling on the STMC community to help support the Good Shepherd Ministry and those experiencing homelessness and hardship in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

Every evening, Good Shepherd Ministry volunteers distribute bags of candy and prayer cards to vulnerable individuals, along with rosaries, gloves, and other essential items. STMC students regularly volunteer with this important outreach on Monday evenings, putting our Edmund Rice values of compassion, service, and solidarity into action.

The ministry has recently run out of candy and is unable to continue distributing candy bags until more donations are received. Junior BERT has stepped up to help replenish their supplies, and we are asking our entire Knights community to get involved!

Please drop your candy donations in the bins in the foyer by Monday, November 9th. Every contribution, big or small, will make a difference.

A special thank you to Linda Noel, who leads this wonderful initiative, for visiting our classrooms and sharing the important work of Good Shepherd Ministry. Thank you as well to our STMC students who have been busy creating prayer cards and volunteering their time to serve others.

Student Leaders’ Global Dialogue

Connecting across the globe!

On October 27th, we were excited to have STMC students take part in the EREBB Student Leaders’ Global Dialogue, joining almost 100 young people from Edmund Rice schools around the world!

This inspiring gathering gave students the opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another, and explore what it means to lead with hope, serve others, and make a difference in their communities.

Over the past year, these dialogues have connected more than 400 young people from 16 countries. We’re grateful our students could be part of this global Edmund Rice community!

Homelessness Action Week

STMC Students Take Action During Homelessness Action Week

During Homelessness Action Week (October 10–16), STMC students took part in several meaningful initiatives to support individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in our local communities.

As part of their Religion classes, Grade 9 students learned more about the challenges facing people experiencing homelessness and explored how our Catholic faith calls us to respond with compassion, dignity, and action. Students prepared sandwiches and thoughtful cards of encouragement for the Union Gospel Mission, Pursuit Kitchen, and the Purpose Society, organizations that provide important support to vulnerable individuals and families in Vancouver and New Westminster.

In another wonderful student-led initiative, Ester L., Laura F., and Khloe A. visited Holy Trinity Cathedral to donate 200 hygiene products and clothing items to support local individuals in need. The donations were collected through LAUNCH, their student-run organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the community.

Drama: 10 Ways to Survive the Holiday

10 Ways to Survive the Holiday will debut on Nov 18 and run till Nov. 20 at the STMC Theatre! Tickets will be on sale in mid October! Seating is minimal so please get your tickets as soon as they are avaliable.

Music

Band-a-Palooza

Band-a-Palooza took place on October 16. Junior and Senior Band students gathered for rehearsals, clinics with guest musicians, and time for building friendships and teamwork. This year’s focus was building a culture of connection, sharing our inner light with others, and receiving light from others.

BCMEA Provincial Honour Ensembles

Congratulations to Kaden Yan and Alexandria Sporer, Grade 12’s, who represented STMC in the BCMEA Provincial Honour Ensembles this month. Kaden played clarinet in the Honour Wind Ensemble and Alexandria sang in the Honour Choir.

Cross Country

The STMC Cross Country Knights turned in a strong showing at Burnaby Central Park!

The Junior Girls won the Championship Banner after a tiebreaker with Burnaby Mountain, despite missing key teammates. Maddie Tauzon took bronze, and Natalie Lim, Leila Bharmal, and Marion Lopez-Garcia all finished in the top 10.

The Junior Boys placed 5th overall, led by Jr. Captain Christian Trainor in 5th place. Several runners set personal bests and broke the 19-minute mark.

On the Senior Girls team, Laura Brant Franqueira earned silver. An injury kept the team from posting an official result while they were on pace for second. We wish captain Evelyn Mar a speedy recovery.

The Senior Boys finished 3rd, just seven points off the title. Rookie Marcus Rai won bronze, and a deep pack of teammates finished between 15th and 21st.

Come Cheer Them On!
Next up, our Knights compete for a chance to qualify for the Provincial Championships. For some athletes, it will be the last race of the season, so we invite students, parents, alumni, and staff to come out and support them.

• Clearbrook Park, Abbotsford
• Saturday, November 7

Congratulations to every member of the team on a season of hard work, determination, and growth. Wherever they finish, they’ve already shown the perseverance and character that make our community proud. Go Knights!

Read the full article

Gr. 7 Chancellor Girls’ Volleyball

On Oct 2-3, we were happy to host our first annual Grade 7 Chancellor Girls’ Volleyball Tournament! We are pleased to welcome OLM, St. Michael’s, St. Francis de Sales, Corpus Christi, St. Joseph’s Vancouver and St. Andrew’s into STMC as they play off against one another.

Our Student Athlete’s Council was excited to put this tournament together for our local elementary schools and are hoping that it is a fun experience for them and their families.

KCM & Plant Sale

Aloha Knights Christmas Market – Saturday, November 21

Kick off the season at the Aloha Knights Christmas Market on Saturday, November 21, from 10 AM to 4 PM in the Stanjean Gymnasium at STMC!

Bring family and friends to shop, browse, and celebrate together.

Winter Plant Sale is live! Pre-order your festive plants, including classic poinsettias, and pick them up at the Christmas Market.

Orders have been extended to November 18, so don’t wait!

Growing the Board

As part of ongoing succession planning, the Foundation and Ltd. Boards of St. Thomas More Collegiate are actively looking for inspired and talented individuals interested in serving on either of these boards or one of our standing board committees. We are looking for individuals who believe in our mission and are willing to be active participants in helping STMC achieve greater success. Serving on either board fulfills your full Parent Participation Program commitment.

It should be noted that the work of each of our respective boards is serious business. Operating a private educational institution in today’s economic and political climate is no easy task. These boards are ultimately responsible for ensuring STMC’s ongoing success and long-term sustainability. For that reason, it is extremely important that our collective members possess the variety of skill sets and expertise required to ensure effective governance. It is also important that our makeup reflect the diversity of the community that we represent. It takes all kinds of skill sets, personalities, backgrounds, and experiences to make for an effective and highly functioning board.

If you are ready to share your time and talents to make STMC a better place, we would like to hear from you. For more information on roles and responsibilities, please take a look at the documents below:

• STMC Ltd. Board Roles & Responsibilities
• STMC Foundation Board Director Roles & Responsibilities
• STMC Ltd. Board Committees – Terms of Reference

Link: Application Form

Download and fill out the above application and send it to board@stmc.bc.c​a to help us better understand what you could bring to the STMC Boards and your potential fit. All applications will be reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted for further discussion, and to answer any questions that you may have. We are limited to how many new members we take on at one time. However, as other needs arise from time to time, it is good to have additional qualified candidates available. The STMC Ltd. Board, in particular, has found it especially effective to have interested candidates gain experience on a standing board committee prior to joining the Board as a Director.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Mr. Thomas Spraggs
STMC Ltd. Board Chair

Mr. Sean Tessarolo
STMC Ltd. – Governance Committee Chair

Mr. Denzel Laguerta
STMC Foundation Board Chair

Mr. Joe Adams
Principal