'Really honoured': Catholic school board looks within to find new director

The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board has chosen a familiar face as its new director of education.

Fil Lettieri, currently a superintendent at the board, will replace Danny Viotto as director, effective July 1. 

In a news release issued Wednesday afternoon, Lettieri said he is "extremely grateful and humbled" to be appointed to the top job.

"It has been an honour to work with so many extraordinary educators and trustee members during my time as a Superintendent, and as I transition into this new role, I look forward to continuing to build those relationships," he said. "As the new Director, my focus will be to live out our mission and vision through the Board's ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive education."

Viotto announced in March that he was resigning as director to accept a "great opportunity" at a private school in southern Ontario.

“I feel really honoured that the trustees have entrusted me with this opportunity to lead the board,” Lettieri told reporters after Wednesday evening’s board meeting.

“I’m excited to build relationships with the broader school community in a different way than I have before. When you’re a school principal you're really focused at the school level and as a superintendent you work closely with your family of schools, those schools that you supervise, but as director you’re representing the board and just having an opportunity to visit schools, to get to build relationships with various employee groups and the various stakeholders in our board is something I’m eager to do because it’s through relationships that you can make achievements in your strategic directions.”

The H-SCDSB will now be looking to fill two empty superintendent positions with Lettieri’s promotion to the position of director and the retirement of Superintendent Christine Durocher.

“One of the challenges is definitely going to be the institutional knowledge lost through the retirement of Superintendent Christine Durocher and our Director Danny Viotto leaving. It’s not only institutional knowledge but wisdom and experience,” Lettieri said.

Catholic education and the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board have already formed a huge part of Lettieri’s life.

An Elliot Lake native, Lettieri attended a Catholic school in that community before becoming a teacher.

A Lakehead University graduate, he began his career with the H-SCDSB in 2007 as an elementary school teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Blind River.

Lettieri also taught at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Elliot Lake. In 2013, Lettieri was announced as the principal of Our Lady of Lourdes French Immersion in Elliot Lake and, in 2016, served as principal at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Sault Ste. Marie. During his time at St. Bernadette, Lettieri was a member of a Board team that amalgamated several elementary schools into St. Basil Catholic Elementary School, where he later served as principal. 

Throughout his career with the H-SCDSB, Lettieri served as a principal for almost 10 years and was announced as a new Superintendent of Education in 2022.

“I’m very much rooted in Elliot Lake and that’s really helped me have a context of our east community and as superintendent I got to learn about our north community and now living in Sault Ste. Marie I feel like I have a grasp of that as well, so I feel like I’m really connected to all the regions of the board,” Lettieri said Wednesday.

Lettieri has moved quickly into leadership roles in his career.

“I love leadership development. When I was a principal I got involved with teaching a principal’s course, in the principal’s qualification program. I just felt inspired by working with future school leaders. When I was principal at St. Basil I was influenced by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (written by American educator Stephen R. Covey) and that was really transformational in my practice as a principal and so when it came to the role of superintendent you have an opportunity to really foster leadership abilities in others and that’s what I did. It’s something that I’m still very passionate about and in the role of a director you do quite a bit of that.”

Lettieri said he used Covey’s book The Leader In Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time as a guide in blending the students of four H-SCDSB schools destined for closure into one student body at the new St. Basil elementary school.

Lettieri is the third new H-SCDSB director of education since 2017 but said he’s ready to commit to the role for a long time.

“I feel very invested in the board. It’s a board that I’ve been with since 2007. I was a student with this board so I’m committed to the board as long as the trustees wish to have me in this role.”

Below is the full press release from the school board: 

The Board of Trustees of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB) are pleased to announce that Fil Lettieri has been named as the new Director of Education. Lettieri will assume his new role on July 1, 2024.

“We are thrilled to welcome Fil to his new role. His deep commitment to Catholic education and proven leadership with HSCDSB will be immeasurable,” said HSCDSB Chair, Gary Trembinski.  “We are confident that he will continue to lead our schools to even greater heights and continue building on the excellent work of our current Director, Danny Viotto. We have been very impressed by his vision, commitment and success as a superintendent. We can only begin to imagine the invaluable efforts that he will continue to put forward in his new role as Director of Education.”

Lettieri, a seasoned educator, has been part of the Board since 2007 and began his career as an elementary school teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Blind River. Throughout his career with the Board, Lettieri has served as a principal for almost 10 years and was announced as the new Superintendent of Education in 2022. His extensive experiences as a teacher, principal and superintendent have prepared him well for his new role.

"I am extremely grateful and humbled to be appointed as the next Director of Education for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board," said Fil Lettieri. "It has been an honour to work with so many extraordinary educators and trustee members during my time as a Superintendent, and as I transition into this new role, I look forward to continuing to build those relationships. As the new Director, my focus will be to live out our mission and vision through the Board's ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive education.

Together, we will ensure the HSCDSB builds upon our well-established reputation in Catholic education. We will continue to ensure our schools remain faith-filled, welcoming, inclusive, and safe learning spaces for all students.”

As a teacher, Lettieri taught at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Elliot Lake and St. Mary’s College. In 2013, Lettieri was announced as the principal of Our Lady of Lourdes French Immersion in Elliot Lake and, in 2016, served as principal at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Sault Ste. Marie. During his time at St. Bernadette, Lettieri was a member of a Board team that seamlessly amalgamated several elementary schools into St. Basil Catholic Elementary School, where he served as principal. 

While serving as Superintendent of Education, he was responsible for Special Education, supervision of several elementary schools across the Board, and managed the expansion of programming at St. Kateri Outdoor Learning Centre.

Other portfolio items under his responsibility have included: The Parent Involvement Committee, Leadership Development for Principals and Vice-Principals, Hockey Canada Skills Academy, Athletics for elementary and secondary students and International Education.

Lettieri is replacing Director of Education, Danny Viotto, who will be resigning from his role in the summer of 2024.

"It has been an honour to be part of the HSCDSB community, and I am delighted that Fil will be the next Director of Education. It’s been a privilege to work alongside Fil for so many years. His passion for Catholic education and student success aligns perfectly with our Board’s mission.  Not to mention, Fil believes in the importance of fostering a culture of transparency and trust in a supportive environment. The Board is in good hands with Fil at the helm, and I am very excited for all of the continued success he and the team will continue to accomplish,” said outgoing Director of Education, Danny Viotto.

Fil and his wife Hannah, who is also a HSCDSB administrator, have four children: Ava, Brynn, Maeve and Elliot. The two share a dedication to their children, their faith, and to the larger communities in education who they serve.