EMSB to recognize Volunteers of Distinction and present Lifetime Achievement and Alumni Recognition Awards
Montreal, April 8, 2026 - On the occasion of National Volunteer Week, which will be marked April 19 to 25, the English Montreal School Board will hold a special reception and ceremony to honor three Volunteers of Distinction. In addition, a Lifetime Achievement Award and a special Alumni Recognition Certificate will be presented.
The program will take place at the St. Pius X Career Centre (9955 Papineau) in Ahuntsic on Tuesday, April 21, where the honorees, their families, EMSB commissioners, management, in-school administrators and Parents Committee executive members will be treated to dinner catered by the culinary students. This will be followed by an awards ceremony streamed live on the EMSB website
The Volunteers of Distinction are Marie Di Fulvio and Claudia Musto from Gerald McShane Elementary School in Montreal North and Leah Trineer from Roslyn Elementary School in Westmount. Angelo Komatsoulis’ extraordinary 34 year career in public education will be highlighted via the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the EMSB’s first ever Director General. Pamela Pagano from CityNews Montreal will receive the Alumni Recognition Certificate.
“We are pleased and honored to be recognizing these distinguished individuals,” says EMSB Chair Joe Ortona.
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| Angelo Komatsoulis |
Lifetime Achievement Award
Angelo Komatsoulis was born in Athens, Greece in 1940, arriving in Montreal via Halifax 12 years later. “My early experience in Montreal was one of shock,” he recalls. “ It was mid-November, cold outside and I was wearing short pants. My father’s friend took me to the closest school in our street, t but i was shown the door not being a Catholic. I was sent to Aberdeen, a Protestant school on St. Denis Street which would end up getting demolished some 60 years back. My teacher was Mrs. MacLeish (PSBGM's Anne MacLeish Mother, .Although I had graduated from elementary school, I was placed in Grade 6 for the balance of the year. My impression was not what I expected. Most of the year was preparing for Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. In high school, i was the lone Greek kid in a sea of Jewish youngsters. That's when I learned how to speak English.”
Upon graduation from university Mr. Komatsoulis obtained a teaching diploma and was hired by the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal, where he worked for 32 years, latterly as Director General. When the EMSB was established in 1998, after Quebec transformed religious school boards along linguistic lines, he continued in that role for two years before retiring.
Mr. Komatsoulis remained involved with the PSBGM Cultural Heritage Foundation, which sold artwork and used the proceeds to cover the costs of student bursaries at the EMSB, and threw himself into his true passion of stamp collecting. He served as president of The Canadian Stamp Dealers Association (CSDA).
Mr. Komatsoulis said he cried when the PSBGM was shut down and became the EMSB, citing unfair practices by then the Parti Québecois Minister of Education Pauline Marois who took many surplus properties and awarded them to the French school board. That cost the EMSB $1.8 million in recurring revenue.
“I am so pleased that Mr. Komatsoulis is receiving this well-deserved award,” said current EMSB Director General Nick Katalifos. “He was a true mentor to me when I first came here to teach and then moved on to become an in-school administrator.”
Volunteers of Distinction
Ms. Di Fulvio and Ms. Musto have consistently gone above and beyond in their dedication to Gerald McShane, generously volunteering their time, energy, and leadership to enrich the school community. Their commitment has made a lasting impact on students, families, and staff alike.
Ms. Di Fulvio has served as the chair of the Governing Board for several years, a role that requires vision, accountability, and countless hours of behind-the-scenes work. In this capacity, she has helped guide important decisions that support student success, school operations, and long-term planning. Beyond governance, she has been deeply involved in fundraising efforts that directly benefit student activities and programming, always focused on ensuring students have meaningful, inclusive experiences.
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| Marie Di Fulvio |
Ms. Di Fulvio works as a buyer for a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility and healthcare.
Ms. Musto has also been a pillar of the school community, serving for several years as both chair and as an active member of the Parent Participation Organization. The duo’s leadership and hands-on involvement have been instrumental in organizing and running major school events that students eagerly anticipate each year. From the Halloween Haunted House to Breakfast with Santa and the Spring Fling, Claudia has helped transform these events into memorable experiences that foster school spirit and family engagement. Together, they have championed fundraising initiatives that support student activities and the school breakfast program, helping ensure students start their day ready to learn. They have also proactively built relationships with local community businesses, securing partnerships and support that enhance school programming and initiatives. Their unwavering dedication exemplifies true service and has made Gerald McShane a stronger, more connected community.
“ I began volunteering three years ago because I had a child who started pre-k and I wanted to be part of the amazing community,” she said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and we are so fortunate that our school is comprised of such amazing teachers and staff. Helping to create magic for the kids is what makes it all worth it. They inspire us to keep going and give more. I like knowing that I am doing everything I can to ensure the short time my children and all the other children are at the school that their days here are memorable. The more I participate, the more I notice changes at the school.”
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| Claudia Musto |
Ms. Musto’s your favorite project each years is a haunted house when all of the parents came together plan. Professionally she is a general contractor and interior designer.
Ms. Trineer has been volunteering at Roslyn for 25 years, beginning when her daughter started in Kindergarten. In addition she has served on the Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations board for two decades.
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| Leah Trineer |
“I have a very strong belief in our public education system,” she said. “Friends told me that I should send my daughter to French school to have her come out bilingual and be able to stay in the province. I did not agree. She went to Roslyn and then to Royal West. She is not only bilingual, but trilingual today as her fiancée speaks Romanian. Today, she is in her sixth year of teaching, currently at Westmount Park.
“I find that staying connected at an elementary school keeps me focused about the things that are important at the provincial level and therefore keeps the children and parents first and foremost in my mind when I sit around the table at QFHSA.”
More than 20 years ago Ms. Trineer initiated a Home and School supported program of Born to Read, providing a bag of books to the new born siblings of students of Roslyn. Except for the first couple years of COVID, the program has run continuously and is still on-going. Around 2002, with the encouragement of the late Eddy Nolan, she arranged for the Home and School began to providing apples to the students after they completed their run for Terry Fox.
Professionally Ms. Trineer has always worked in the areas of audit, financial accounting, and treasury. She currently works as an Associate at National Bank Financial.
Pamela Pagano
From a college newsroom to red carpets, Pamela Pagano has built a journalism career rooted in heart and human connection. It all began at Dawson College, where her first-ever article featured an Oscar-winning animator—which helped spark her immense interest in the field. Pamela attended the former General Vanier Elementary School and Laurier Macdonald High School.
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| Pamela Pagano |
While studying journalism at Concordia University, Pamela interned at Entertainment Tonight Canada, which made her pack her bags and live in Toronto for a few months.
Over eight years, she volunteered at MAtv Montreal, falling in love with the art of local storytelling. That passion grew into Kind Time, her own online series celebrating kindness through intimate interviews with changemakers. The show even hit the TIFF red carpet, where she interviewed stars like Andrea Bocelli, Malala Yousafzai, and Ben Stiller.
Grateful for every story she hears and gets to share, Pamela then brought her voice to actor John Krasinski’s Some Good News platform and later to the Juno Awards in Halifax, and the 50th Daytime Emmy Awards in Hollywood.
Pamela is a 2025 RTDNA Canada award recipient for Excellence in Sports Reporting in the video category of Best Canadian Local News. She has carved out a unique beat focused exclusively on good news at CityNews Montreal with a team of colleagues she considers her second family.
Program Sponsor
Beneva (www.beneva.ca) continues to serve as the title sponsor for the EMSB’s recognition efforts for volunteers. The company offers a wide range of products and services that are designed to simplify financial choices for members working in the public and para-public sectors in over 900 public and para-public institutions across the province. These services include: personal financial advice, savings, investments and funds; individual life and health insurance; mortgages and personal loans; insurance for automobiles, recreational vehicles, home, travel and legal access; commercial insurance; and group insurance.For details click here: https://groupes.beneva.ca/en/emsb/financial-services
About the English Montreal School Board
With a youth and adult sector population of more than 33,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 73 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.
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Contact:
Michael J. Cohen
Manager, Marketing and Communications
English Montreal School Board
mcohen@emsb.qc.ca
