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An Etobicoke 12th grader was recently named the sole voice of Toronto's 90,000 Catholic students.

James Dempsey, 16, took over the role of student trustee for the beleaguered Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) on Aug. 1 - a challenge the Bishop Allen Academy senior said he's ready to tackle head on.

"One of the biggest challenges of my term, at least at the outset, will be to ensure that the student voice is heard at a time when the Board itself is dealing with some major changes," the Bloor West Village resident said, noting the irony that his first introductory meeting as the student-trustee-in-waiting proved to be the board's last before the Ministry of Education stepped in to take over.

On June 4, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne appointed a provincial supervisor to oversee the board after a month-long spending scandal rocked public confidence in its trustees.

"The biggest role for student trustees is usually to be that voice at board meetings, but that trustee forum no longer exists," he said. "It's unfortunate, but I'm privileged to have opportunity to rise to that challenge."

It's not the first time the aspiring international businessman has taken on a leadership role, though, and Dempsey has proven both inside and outside of school that he has the capability to get the student voice heard.

At school, although he's avoided student government, he has made a name for himself as one of two co-head delegates for Bishop Allen's esteemed Model United Nations team, leading the 40-member team to success at the municipal, provincial and national level.

"It started as just a small group of us in Grade 9, but I wanted to make it a group that was feared across the city, and now it is," he said.

And in his free time last year, under the guidance of the Rotary Club of Etobicoke, he helped plan the Toronto Trek for Teens, a charity race raising more than $5,000 for Covenant House Toronto, an organization that supports homeless youth in the city.

Beginning next month, Dempsey plans to hit the road to visit a sampling of the TCDSB's 201 elementary and secondary schools to hear first hand from students about the issues they feel are most important.

"My primary focus is to meet with as many students as possible so that I can truly represent their views and concerns," he said.