It’s 2:45 PM. The bell rings to signal the end of the school day. But in Room 141, the real work is just beginning. Mr. Marco Summaria, Ms. Michela Trozzo, and their team of students gather to prepare for upcoming competitions, turning the classroom into a high-performance training ground.
“Winning starts here,” Mr. Summaria says, watching his students immerse themselves in their craft. “People see the medals, but they don’t see the months of after-school preparation and the hours of dedication the students put in to improve.”
For years, the Skills Ontario competition has been the proving ground for the province’s most talented young innovators. This year, at the TCDSB Skills Competition, students from James Cardinal McGuigan (JCM) Catholic High School didn’t just compete—they dominated. They walked away with gold medals in Video Production, 3D Animation, Graphic Design, and 2D Animation, along with a third-place finish in their debut robotics competition.
At the Skills Ontario provincial competition, Gloria B. and Vittorio C. won a silver medal in Video Production, marking the team’s fifth medal in the past two years. All 11 of JCM’s student competitors placed in the top ten of their respective categories, making James Cardinal McGuigan the highest-ranked school in the province.
This year also marked Mr. Summaria’s 12th year coaching students for the Skills Ontario competitions—a tenure defined by passion and precision. Since 2013, JCM’s video production teams have remained undefeated at the board level, a streak that reflects his commitment to excellence and his ability to draw out the best in his students year after year. But the impact goes far beyond medals. Many of his former competitors have gone on to successful careers in film, animation, programming, and engineering—crediting their experiences under his guidance as the spark that ignited their professional journeys.
“The competition gives them more than a medal—it gives them confidence and experience,” Mr. Summaria says. “That’s something lasting they can take with them wherever they go in life.”
JCM’s rise in the Skills Ontario competition isn’t an accident. The school has built a STEAM program that integrates real-world professional standards with hands-on learning, creating an environment where students can push creative and technical boundaries. As JCM’s STEAM program continues to grow, one thing is certain: this won’t be the last time they stand on the podium. If anything, this is just the beginning.
