2022–2023 Messages From the President
News from the Hill - June 9, 2023
Dear East Catholic Family,
This is the final News from the Hill communication for the 2022–23 school year. The year definitely flew by, but there were many great memories and milestones along the way. Thank you to all students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends who made it a memorable year!
The class of 2023 finished off the year with three great nights in a row: Project Graduation, Baccalaureate Mass, and commencement. Almost all seniors gathered for a fun night at the Pinebrook Swim Club in Glastonbury for a class celebration. From all reports, a good time was had by all. Many thanks to Keri Watkins and Sarah Kimball for all of their work putting the evening together!
On the following night, the class gathered at St. Mary’s in East Hartford for Baccalaureate Mass. Archbishop Blair was the celebrant, and the seniors and their families had a wonderful evening that culminated with a prayer for graduates written by our very own Maggie Seaver, director of campus ministry.
On Thursday, May 25, the class of 2023 followed in the footsteps of previous East Catholic graduating classes at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in downtown Hartford. It was a fabulous evening. The setting sun shining through the stained glass added to the beauty of the spectacular cathedral. Our commencement speaker, Dr. Walter “Chip” Trymbulak, MD, PhD was a great speaker highlighting the great successes of countless East Catholic graduates, and he encouraged the seniors to reach out to our alums if they need help. Please check out the pictures below.
Our underclassmen finished final exams today, so guess what . . . it's summer! Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe, and rejuvenating summer.
Speaking of summer, I wanted to take a moment here to introduce the theme for next year and the selection for our summer One Book, One Community read. Building off our former yearly themes of inclusion, selflessness, and grit, the theme for 2023–24 will be integrity. Integrity is a virtue that means being honest, honorable, and truthful, even when no one is watching. People with integrity are generally known to be trustworthy, honest, and kind. As we reflected on the theme, the book that came to mind is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, winner of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize. The book is set in the south and deals with many important topics including race, economic differences, and bias, but at its core, the novel is about a young girl’s coming of age. As Scout learns from her father, Atticus, doing the right thing is incredibly important. I’m sure some of you have already read this timeless novel. I encourage you to read it again. For those who are reading it for the first time, I know you will enjoy it!
That’s it from me for the 2022–23 school year! Please remember that school offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday for the summer. Please be in touch if you need anything!
Peace and blessings,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85 President
News from the Hill - May 19, 2023
Dear East Catholic Family,
Welcome to the penultimate (such a fun word) edition of News from the Hill! The ongoing celebration of the class of 2023 continues!
After wrapping up AP exams, and collecting all of the senior's college choices, we had a senior awards ceremony on Monday that saw well over 100 seniors recognized for academic, athletic, and extracurricular accomplishments. This is a very talented class for sure! On Tuesday we started the day with a great East Catholic tradition, Senior Farewell. The class of 2023 entered the auditorium to resounding applause. Followed by a talent show, a senior interviews video, and a lengthy slide show. School President Shane Luca delivered a heartfelt address and led us in the school song one last time. The seniors then left the auditorium to a standing ovation before heading to the Cathedral of St. Joseph for graduation rehearsal. They are ready to spread their wings, but as many will attest, the feeling is bittersweet.
On Tuesday afternoon our top 5% of graduates were recognized for their academic excellence at the Summa Scholars ceremony at St. Joseph’s University (see below). It is a highlight of the spring each year as the students who are selected get to honor a teacher who has had a significant impact on their time at East. Our six seniors did a great job!
We celebrated the Feast of the Ascension at an all-school Mass on Thursday. While we missed our seniors, it is always enjoyable to gather as a full school community to celebrate Holy Days. Tonight, seniors and their guests will be dancing the night away at the senior prom. We look forward to a fun night!
Next week continues to be very busy. Underclassmen can see the end of classes coming quickly, and they are getting ready for final exams. Seniors have a busy last week. The Project Graduation party is on Tuesday at the Pinebrook Pool Club in Glastonbury, and the Baccalaureate Mass is on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in East Hartford. The final graduation rehearsal is at 10:45 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Joseph (seniors should drive themselves or get dropped off and picked up), and graduation is at 6:00 p.m. at the Cathedral (seniors should arrive by 5:00 p.m.). There is no school on Friday, May 26 or Monday, May 29, and the offices are closed.
Looking ahead:
- June 2 - Exam Review Day (ABCD)
- June 5 – A Block and B Block Exams
- June 6 – C Block and D Block Exams
- June 7 – Exam Review Day (EFGH)
- June 8 – E Block and F Block Exams
- June 9 – G Block and H Block Exams
- June 10 – Summer!
Wishing you all a strong finish to the school year!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85 President
News from the Hill - May 5, 2023
Dear East Catholic Family,
May has arrived, but somehow the spring temperatures have not! As our seniors count down their last days, our Eagles remain quite busy. The first week of AP exams is complete with one more week to go. Good luck to those taking AP exams.
We had our annual Academic Awards Night last week, and it was amazing to see how many students were recognized with book awards from dozens of colleges and universities, as well as course and departmental awards. Many thanks to the counseling office and the main office for their work putting that event together.
We welcomed most of the class of 2027 and their parents to campus last Friday. The students had the chance to mingle in the gym areas, and the parents received a ton of information in the auditorium. Thanks to the admissions office and the student ambassadors for putting together a successful evening.
The Spring Art Show and Music Concert was a tremendous success. The evening began with an Art Show in the main lobby. Student work from Ms. Brasche’s and Mrs. Shaher’s classes were displayed for all to see. Then our various bands, orchestras, and choirs gave the audience a great show in the auditorium. We are very fortunate to have such talented artists and musicians. The evening ended with special recognition for the seniors in all of those groups as this was their last performance. Kudos to Mr. Brudz, Mr. Link, Ms. Brasche, and Mrs. Shaher for putting together a wonderful event.
On Thursday, the class of 2023 wore their college shirts and sweatshirts to school, and we were able to get everyone together for a fun picture (see below). On Friday, we recognized members of the class who will go on to play sports at the college level.
Friday is also the annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon sponsored by the parents' association. Many thanks to all who contributed food or other items for the luncheon. We have a tremendous faculty and staff, so the recognition is warranted and appreciated.
Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks:
- May 8–12 – AP Exams
- May 15 – Senior Awards 10:00 a.m.
- May 16 – Senior Farewell at 7:30 a.m.
- May 18 – All-School Mass at 10:00 a.m.
- May 19 – Senior Prom at 7:00 p.m.
Praying for some warmer temperatures!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85 President
News from the Hill - April 21, 2023
Dear East Catholic Family,
With spring sports in full swing and graduation rapidly approaching, life is pretty busy on the Hill! As I mentioned to the faculty this week, buckle up, because it is a busy stretch from now to the end of the year.
We are pleased to report that we have replaced the water bottle fill station in the cafeteria. We will be adding additional fill stations throughout the building in the coming months. Go hydrate!
Thursday was a busy but fun day. We had a pep rally at the end of the school day to recognize our spring sports captains as well as our talented robotics team who is competing this week at the first world championships in Houston, TX. We also heard a couple of songs from our jazz and pep bands and celebrated some members receiving awards at various competitions this year. On Thursday evening we had our first campfire! Lots of students, faculty, and even parents showed up to play games and eat Blackie’s hotdogs and smores. Many thanks to Mrs. Kathy Reilly, Mrs. Andrews, and many others who made the night a wonderful success.
Tonight, is the junior prom at Maneely’s. We wish everyone going a safe and enjoyable evening. Thank you to our chaperones and Mrs. Poirier for organizing.
Tomorrow, Saturday, will be our Boy’s Tennis team’s Pancake Breakfast. It begins at 8:00 a.m. in the cafeteria. Looking ahead to the next two weeks, we will have our academic awards ceremony on Thursday, April 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Students who will receive awards have been notified that they are getting an award but not the name of the actual award. Please join us to celebrate our hard-working students.
We will celebrate an all-school Mass on April 28 at 10:00 a.m. This will be the last all-school Mass for the class of 2023. That evening, we will be welcoming our incoming freshman class and their parents for our Spring Freshman Social beginning at 6:00 p.m. Looking forward to having our next round of future Eagles on campus!
AP exams will run from May 1 to May 12. The East Catholic Parents Association will have their final meeting of the year on May 2 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend.
Our final musical event of the year will be our spring concert on Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Please join us for an entertaining evening with our talented musicians!
The parents' association will recognize our faculty and staff at the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, May 5. Please be in touch with Amy Roach if you would like to contribute in any way.
Phew! Like I said, pretty busy! Remember to take deep breaths and laugh when you can down this final stretch.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85 President
News from the Hill - April 6, 2023
Dear East Catholic Family,
As this season of Lent draws to a close, everyone is eagerly anticipating spring break. Let me begin by wishing everyone in the East Catholic Family a blessed Easter.
On March 30 we had another very successful blood drive. Every slot was filled, and we even had to turn away some people. In all we donated 41 pints of blood, surpassing our amount from last year. Many thanks to Jillian Vichi ‘23 and Ben Creamer ‘23 for their leadership in this initiative.
We had another Open House last week welcoming 30+ families to campus. Thank you to all of the student ambassadors who came to show off our great school!
Our spring fundraiser, Boots and Blooms, was a great success on Saturday. Congrats to all prize winners, and many thanks to our advancement office and parent volunteers for their hard work in pulling together a fun evening!
The class of 2023 had their 50 days until graduation luncheon on Tuesday. We gathered in Saunders Gymnasium for lunch and heard two great, young alumni speakers. Irene Soteriou ’19 and Tyler Veretto ’12 spoke about the transition from high school to college and beyond.
Our music department put on a great Night of Jazz on Wednesday. It is truly amazing to see and hear such talented performers. In addition to sharing their skills with our community, the Jazz Band and Stage Band have been performing at festivals this year, earning a number of awards and recognitions (see below).
Once again, wishing you all a restful and enjoyable Easter and spring break. Please be safe and get ready to return for the final stretch!
Let me close today's message with this morning's prayer that I shared with our students.
A Prayer for Easter Eyes My Lord, Jesus
You have risen to new life!
Give me new eyes with which to recognize your presence in the world around me.
Sharpen my vision so that I see beyond the ordinary events of each day and into the extraordinary reality of your grace.
Brighten my view of the world with renewed hope in the coming of your Kingdom.
Soften my gaze so that I view others with the kind of tenderness and compassion you showed to so many.
May each day of this Easter season provide glimpses of your glory.
In your sacred name, I pray.
Amen
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85 President
News from the Hill - March 24, 2023
To the East Catholic Family,
Wow! What a way to wrap up the winter season! In an epic Division One State Championship game, the boys’ basketball team came from behind against a very talented Northwest Catholic team to win their third straight state championship (COVID cancelled the tournament in 2020 and 2021)! As Coach Reilly said in a post-game interview, “This was an all-school win.” Great fans showed up to support our skillful team who never gave up and came out on top. That is our 8th state championship in boys’ basketball, and our 65th title overall. #WeAreEC
Our Robotics Team, Aetos Dios, had a good run at Western New England University, finishing 14th and making the semi-finals. In addition to their competitive placement, the team won the Imagery Award. Keep an eye out for future competitions.
Campus Ministry and senior leaders led our annual Kairos Retreat last week. The three-day retreat takes place at Holy Family Retreat Center in West Hartford. All reports came back that it was a tremendous success. Thanks to all who planned and led the retreat!
Thursday was a big day for the sophomore class. They began the day with a rehearsal for the Ring Ceremony, followed by their sophomore class retreat, then the actual Ring Ceremony closed out the day. Tonight, they will have a skate party to close out the week’s celebrations.
Looking ahead to next week, the third quarter will wrap up on Tuesday, there is a blood drive on campus on Thursday, and we will welcome prospective students and families to our Spring Open House on Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. Closing out next week, on Saturday, will be our Annual Spring Event – Boots and Blooms. Please join us for an evening of tasty food and drink, exciting auction items, and live entertainment. The online auction will be live next week, so be sure to bid on some items. It is always a good time!
Please see below that there are some scholarships available. Please consider writing an essay, and you may win!
Many blessings in this Lenten season!
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - March 10, 2023
To the East Catholic Family,
As we conclude the second week of Lent, winter and spring are battling it out to see which season will reign supreme. Please continue to watch for emails and texts for any closings or rescheduled events.
The cast and crew of Bye Bye Birdie would not be deterred with snowy weather, and their production was a great success last weekend. Congratulations to all who were involved, and special thanks to Mrs. Quackenbush and Mr. Brudz for their guidance.
Equipment for our newly renovated weight room arrived this week. What a difference! Please remain patient as they complete installation. Our student-athletes will greatly benefit from this updated resource! Thank you to Mr. Dahlquist for his oversight of this project.
Furniture for the new Integrated Technology Center also arrived this week. Likewise, please be patient as they complete installation. We expect to be in that space soon. Thanks to Ms. Burby for her leadership in this initiative.
On March 1, freshman Catherine “Cat” Carmon provided testimony at the state capitol in front of the Judiciary Committee regarding the exoneration of innocent victims from the CT witch trials dating back to the 1600’s. She was very impressive in her statement and local media has carried the story now a couple of times. Read more about it here. Way to go, Cat!
Congratulations to all of our athletic teams for the entirety of the winter season as well as those who qualified for postseason play. East Catholic has a tradition of athletic excellence, and it is always fun to see our young women and men competing against the competition in Connecticut. The boys' basketball team will face off against Wilbur Cross High School tonight, at home, at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see a great fan base of support, and good luck to our team!
Looking ahead to next week, we will have an 11:30 a.m. dismissal on Tuesday, March 14 for teacher-professional development. On Wednesday, we will have an all-school assembly on the dangers of drunk driving from Steve Emt. Check out his website.
Beginning on Wednesday, we will have 50 juniors and seniors attend our annual Kairos Retreat. The three-day program is run by eight seniors and the Campus Ministry Office. Each year attendees report that it is one of the highlights of their time at East Catholic.
More to come in the next News from the Hill.
Wishing our entire East Catholic Family a blessed Lenten season. Please be in touch with any comments, celebrations, or concerns!
Peace and blessings,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - February 17, 2023
To the East Catholic Family,
I think everyone is ready for a break, and fortunately we are off next week! Students and faculty are off all week; school offices will be closed on Monday, February 20 for Presidents Day. School offices will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from Tuesday, February 21 to Friday, February 24. School reopens on Monday, February 27.
While on break, Stage East will be hard at work continuing to prepare for the upcoming musical, Bye Bye Birdie. Be sure to save the date for March 3 and 4 to come enjoy it!
Our winter sports teams have had incredibly successful seasons, with many teams moving on to both the CCC and state tournaments. The indoor track & field season wrapped up, with Caroline Cavanaugh '26 placing 5th in the high jump at the Class S State Tournament. Girls' basketball is back in the state tournament this year, and girls' hockey has had some exciting victories that are taking them to the CCC Tournament next week. After a sold-out game, our boys' basketball team had an impressive victory over Northwest Catholic this week. Congratulations to all! I look forward to seeing many of you at the rest of their competitions this season.
The Project Graduation committee have been working tirelessly this year with various fundraising efforts. Thank you to all who took part in the Valentine's CandyGrams sale. Make sure to save your coins and bring them in after break to participate in the Penny Wars Class Competition. The Class of 2023 is also sponsoring a donation drive for a local pet shelter. They are collecting various items - including cat litter/litter pans, plastic cat toys, bleach/disinfectant wipes, towels, peanut butter, dry/canned pet food, and nylabones. The collection will run until Friday, March 3. Please donate to this great cause if you are able to!
The season of Lent begins next Wednesday with Ash Wednesday. Though we will be on winter break and not in school for Mass, I hope many of you still choose to go to your local service and receive the ashes.
In closing, I wish all of you a safe, healthy, relaxing, and rejuvenating break! Looking forward to seeing you all refreshed on February 27!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace and blessings, Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - February 3, 2023
To the East Catholic Family,
After a mild start to the winter, we certainly are starting to see all that a New England winter has to offer. Be sure to stay warm this weekend!
This week, we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. There was lots of fun programming for our students, including Advisory Breakfast, dress down days, and a winter pep rally. Many thanks to all of our students, faculty, and staff for making it such a great week.
On Tuesday, I held our first State of the School Address to introduce our strategic plan for 2022–2025 to the school community. Thank you to all who came and all who tuned in via the livestream. If you missed it and would like to watch, you can do so here: State of the School - YouTube. You can read the full strategic plan on our website. I won’t go into full detail here, but I’d like to share one excerpt that truly captures the message: “For our students, East Catholic is a home for your heart – a place where you are supported, cared for, and encouraged by your peers, your teachers, administrators, coaches, and staff. Through inclusion, selflessness and grit the State of our School has never looked more promising.”
Thursday was the Feast Day for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, East Catholic’s founding order. We were blessed to have many of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur on campus celebrating Mass on Friday. They haven’t been able to come to campus since before COVID, so it was wonderful to have them here to celebrate. Thank you to Sister Peggy, our Campus Ministry Team, and our Advancement Team for coordinating the Mass and brunch reception.
Our Students of Color Union has been busy decorating bulletin boards and generating interest in the black leaders who have made significant impacts in our country’s history. Each day throughout the month they are sharing music from black creators to bring awareness and celebration. There will also be a dress down day on Wednesday, February 8 for $2 to support them. Stay tuned for more from them!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace and blessings, Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - January 13, 2023
To the East Catholic Family,
Happy 2023! I hope you all are safe and well in this new year. We are busy as ever here on the Hill, and are looking forward to all of the upcoming excitement as we enter the second half of our school year.
Mid-term exams began this week and will continue into next week, with a review day on Tuesday. We hope students use the time with this long weekend to continue their hard work studying in order to perform well. Be sure to utilize the review time on Tuesday to ask any important questions from your teachers. Let’s finish exams strong, Eagles!
Our winter sports teams are hitting their stride. Congratulations to the members of our indoor track & field team that have already qualified for states – what an accomplishment! Two of our sports teams – boys' basketball and boys' hockey – are heading up to Springfield, MA this weekend for some exciting game opportunities. Our boys' basketball team is taking the court in a sold-out game on Saturday at the Hoophall Classic against St. Augustine School from California. On Monday, our boys' hockey team will be playing against Suffield High School at the Mass Mutual Arena, home of the Springfield Thunderbirds. Good luck to all competing this weekend!
Our Robotics Team, Aetos Dios, is hard at work preparing for their competition season. After a great ending to their season last year, with a trip to the World Championship in Texas, they are full of energy to achieve greater success this year. On Monday, January 23, we will be having a school-wide dress down day to raise money for the team. The proceeds will be going towards their fund to purchase parts to build this year’s robot.
The Annex Building is officially down, and bricks from the building have been saved to build a grotto at the Mary Statue. We are looking forward to the onset of spring weather to begin this project, as well as spruce up the land where the building formerly was. It was a longer process than anticipated, but we are happy to be in the next phase!
Our first round of acceptance letters went out for the Class of 2027, and we are already seeing deposits come in from future Eagles. In the next couple weeks, we will begin to schedule these students for their classes. We’ve received a great number of new applications at the onset of the new year, and our admission team is working hard with these families throughout the process. There is still plenty of time to apply for any prospective freshmen or transfer students you may know, so certainly encourage all who are interested to inquire with us.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace and blessings,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - December 23, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
This will be the last News from the Hill for 2022. We have had a joyous and festive Advent season here on the Hill. From door decorating to Christmas concerts, the halls have been abuzz with the anticipation of Christmas. At the same time, students are working hard in the classrooms, seniors are applying to and receiving word from colleges and universities, winter athletes are gearing up, and students are taking advantage of service opportunities. We have amazing kids doing great work!
If you are not aware, the Parents Association meets most months on the first Tuesday of the month. If you are interested in learning more about the great work that the parents do for our students and the school, please join them on February 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room. On December 14 we welcomed many of our generous donors to campus for a reception. The gathering of alumni, parents, and grandparents (past and present), faculty/staff (former and current), and others was a festive group. We enjoyed some reminiscing prior to making our way down to the Christmas concert and art show.
Many thanks to the students who shared their artwork and to Ms. Brasche and Mrs. Shaher for their mentorship. After appreciating the talented artwork in the lobby, everyone made their way into the auditorium for quite an impressive concert. Various bands, orchestras, and choruses featured dozens of talented musicians in different configurations. They certainly wowed the audience and put us in the Christmas spirit! Many thanks to Mr. Link and Mr. Brudz for their leadership.
Winter sports are off and running. Boys’ basketball hosted Middletown in their home opener and came out with a win. Girls’ basketball had a great win this week at home against Hall. Boys’ hockey took Glastonbury to OT before falling short, and girls’ hockey beat a talented Simsbury team earlier this week. Boys and girls indoor track are underway and boys swimming and diving will be soon. Good luck to all of our teams throughout the season!
As part of our mission statement points out, “participation in community service” is an important part of what we do here at East. Each of our advisories collected items for young children who are supported by Manchester Headstart. These Christmas bags were filled up by generous donations from our students and their families and then passed along to the kids in need. I am always impressed by how generous and thoughtful our students are!
We wrapped up our half day today with a Christmas presentation. Campus ministers presented a live nativity to the school, ECCE sang a few beautiful songs, and we had a sing-along with the entire school!
Sending love and blessings out to the entire East Catholic family at this joyous time of year. May you all be safe and healthy while celebrating the birth of Jesus! See you in 2023!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace and blessings,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - December 2, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving. As the first week of Advent comes to a close, we have focused our prayers this week on hope.
Congratulations to our girls' soccer team for their incredible state championship win! It was wonderful to see so much of our community show up to cheer them on in their victory at Trinity Health Stadium. We look forward to hanging another banner in our gym! Very well deserved and earned girls!
Congratulations to the football team for their 45-7 win over Northwest Catholic in our annual Archbishop’s Cup! The Archbishop’s Cup stays with East for the next year!
Winter sports are off and running. Best of luck to all of our teams!
As always, life on the Hill is pretty busy. The Annex project has finally begun and, as many of you I’m sure have noticed, the building is on its way down. It may be an eye sore right now, but we are looking forward to the completion of this project. We will keep you all updated.
On Monday, November 21 we had a visit to our school from my fellow Middlebury College alum, Chris Waddell. Chris is an astounding example of our theme of grit for this year. Following a ski accident during his freshmen year of college, he used his determination and perseverance to become the fastest Paralympic mono-skier in the world. He has won many Paralympic medals, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, and even met the Dalai Lama as a recipient of the “Unsung Hero of Compassion” Award. I have had the pleasure of inviting Chris to speak with other schools I have worked at, and it was a special experience to share the East Catholic community with him. I hope you all enjoyed his story – it truly is an inspiring one!
We are looking forward to our Christmas concert and art show on Wednesday, December 14. Our fine arts students have been hard at work preparing for this, and it is always one of my favorite nights at East to see the talent of our students on display! Make sure to save the date and come out to show your support!
We have 15 school days left before Christmas vacation. Please remind students that this is a time to stay on top of their work and not get behind. When we return from break, we will only have one week of classes before mid-term exams, and we want all of our students to feel supported to succeed.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill - November 14, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week! Time seems to be flying by, but we are certainly staying busy on campus. With the first quarter behind us and the second quarter under way, students seem to be hitting a good stride. Our Veterans Day program here on Friday surpassed all of my expectations. There are many thanks to give – first to all of those who have or currently serve in our US Armed Forces. It was wonderful to have so many of our own East Catholic family there on Friday to celebrate the day. I had the opportunity to hear many stories from the Veterans who joined us, and it was nothing short of amazing. A big thank you also to all of the students and families who donated to our care packages. We utilized all of it to go towards gifts for the Rocky Hill VA Hospital, for which they were very grateful. Our students impressed me on Friday with their presence and attention to all that was shared. We hope all in our community who were with us on Friday gained something special.
Congratulations to all of our fall sports teams! While most teams have completed their seasons, we still have members of our girls' swim team who will be competing in the Class S State Swim Championships this Tuesday. Good luck to them! After an incredible 14-1-1 season, our girls' soccer team is making an impressive run in the Class S State Tournament. They’ve advanced to the semi-final round and will play this Wednesday. It might be a rainy one, but we hope you'll still come out and show your support!
Our admission team has been hard at work with this year's admission cycle. Our first two entrance exams were a great success, and we welcomed over 125 students. The students who came on these dates were already forming friendships, which was awesome to see. The applications have been steadily coming in, with new inquiries almost every day. We are looking forward to keeping up this positive trajectory! If you know of any prospective students that are looking to make a home for themselves here at East, have them reach out to our admission office to get started on the application process.
As the temperatures are dropping, we hope everyone is taking care of themselves and staying healthy. Please be reminded that if you do not feel well, stay home. We want everyone to enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving holiday next week with their families! As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
East Catholic Newsletter - November 14, 2022
News from the Hill – October 28, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
I hope you all are healthy and well with autumn upon us. There is certainly a lot going on at East these days!
Fall sports regular seasons are winding down as some teams prepare for the postseason. Our boys and girls cross country teams compete in the Class S State Championships this Saturday, and our girls soccer team will receive their Class S State match-up soon after an impressive season. Come support your Eagles in some of their last games of the year – and dress warm!
Our fall drama production of Clue had a dress rehearsal on Thursday and will have performances on Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29, at 7:00 p.m. on both days, with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. as well. Please come out and support our talented Stage East cast and crew!
On Monday, October 31, students will have the opportunity to dress up in costume for Halloween. We do not allow masks that cover the face. Please understand that appropriate and non-offensive costumes must be in line with the dress code in the student handbook. There is no cost to dress up on Monday, so we hope you all have fun embracing the spirit of Halloween!
On Friday, November 11, we will have a half-day of school to honor and learn more about the veteran community for Veterans Day. Though this has typically been a day off for students & faculty in the past, we are taking the time this year to teach our students about the importance of this day. Please see below for more information, but we are looking forward to our program for the day and are grateful to all of those in our East community that have served in our armed forces.
As many of you have likely noticed, our Annex building is still standing. There were some delays due to permitting, but we are formally approved and will begin to bring down the building starting the week of November 7. As mentioned in a previous newsletter, we will reach out to our community for anyone interested in the preservation project to turn the bricks from the building into a grotto by our Mary statue.
The end of the first quarter is next week and will wrap up on Wednesday, November 3. Make sure to stay on top of your work and talk to your teachers about any missing assignments. We want all of our students to start off this year well with a strong first-quarter grade!
As always, please email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill – October 14, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
Let me begin by thanking the entire East Catholic family for your active and generous participation in the 2022 Walkathon. We set a goal of $40,000 and actually raised over $45,000! Because we crushed our goal, the students earned a day off from school on Monday, November 28. Thank you to our advancement team, Walkathon committee, and parent volunteers who helped make this day such a success!
It was also great to see our auditorium filled with prospective students and families for our fall open house last Thursday. It was a wonderful night with over 125 students and over 450 people in attendance. Thanks to the admissions office, faculty, staff, student ambassadors, and parent volunteers for making it such a memorable and positive evening for our guests. We look forward to welcoming students for our first entrance exam on Saturday, October 22.
Spirit week is such a festive time here at East, and this week was no exception! It was fun to see all of the students dress in theme every day this week. Congrats to our class of 2023 for being named spirit week champions. Make sure to come out and support our football team tonight at the homecoming game as they take the field at 6:30 p.m. against Lewis Mills! And for those who purchased tickets, we will see you tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. here at East for our homecoming dance!
A few housekeeping items:
The winter uniform begins on Tuesday, October 18. Get your sweaters ready! Please refer to the handbook with any questions on proper attire.
A new cell phone policy in the school will begin on Monday, October 17. The use of cell phones and air buds will be allowed on the ground floor. This includes the gym, hallway on the ground floor, and cafeteria. Air buds may be used during long period study in the classrooms. The first week will be a "grace period" as students adjust to the new set of rules. The policy will formally take effect on Monday, October 24.
ID’s must be worn on a lanyard during school hours.
The end of quarter one is fast approaching, and will wrap up on Wednesday, November 3. Make sure to stay on top of your work and talk to your teachers about any missing assignments. We want all of our students to start off this year well with a strong first quarter grade!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns, brennans@echs.com
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill – September 30, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
And just like that, September has slipped away! This month has been an incredible beginning to our school year, and we could not be more excited to start off on such a strong note. October is always a time for many East Catholic traditions, such as Homecoming and our Walkathon, and we can't wait to see our community continue to flourish.
On Saturday, September 25, we hosted our Annual Scholarship Reception. Each year, we are blessed by the generosity of many amazing donors who give out scholarship aid to our students. Each student awarded was acknowledged, and some were even able to connect with their donor.
This upcoming Thursday, October 6, we will be hosting our Annual Open House for prospective students. This is always our biggest Admission event of the year - last year brought over 400 people into our school! We can't wait to meet all of the families that are interested in being part of the East Catholic experience. Please help us in spreading the word about our open house to any prospective student you may know!
The asbestos removal is almost complete on our Annex building, and beginning next week, the process will begin to bring the building down. The Annex building is a rich part of our history here at East Catholic, and efforts are being made to preserve its memory. Sr. Peggy Evans, who spent years living in the building when it was the original convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, will be salvaging bricks from the building to create a grotto around the statue of Mary on the front of our school for our community to appreciate. More information on this project will be forthcoming, but please let us know if you would like to be involved.
Our Walkathon fundraiser is in full swing, and we are so grateful for the support and participation from our entire school community! As of this morning, we have already raised over $22,000 as a school. This puts us on track toward our goal, and we're almost double where we were last year at this time. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful our community is at rallying around this spirit fundraiser to increase the great things we are able to do for our students here at East. We have officially two more weeks until the walk here at school, and if we keep up this momentum, I know we will crush our goal!
On Monday, we will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with an all-school assembly for our students. Thank you to our Hispanic Heritage Club and our Students of Color Union for their joint efforts in providing programming and resources to our students throughout this month!
On Monday, Jade Colon '23 will also be speaking with our students to introduce ALS Awareness Month and share the impact that ALS has had on her family. Jade was brave enough to share her story last year, and it was wonderful to see our community unite with her in her fundraising efforts. This Saturday, Jade will participate in "The Walk to Defeat ALS" in Hartford to kick off her fundraising efforts for this year. The volleyball team, which Jade is an active member of, will be dedicating their home game on Monday to the ALS community. Come at 5:45 p.m. wearing red to show your support for this important cause!
Congratulations to all of our fall sports teams as we approach the midway point of the season! Our girls soccer team is on an amazing run, winning their last five games. Come watch them play today on our lower fields as they take on Bristol Central High School at 3:45 p.m.! Our girls field hockey team showcased an outstanding display of sportsmanship in their game against Avon High School that represented our East Catholic mission in action. We could not be more proud of our students for exhibiting the selflessness and inclusion that we teach here at East.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill – September 16, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
It feels as if we are hitting a good stride as we begin to enter the fall season. Classes are in full swing, sports teams are practicing and playing, Stage East is rehearsing, and the Eagle spirit can be felt in the air.
It was great to have parents on campus for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 8! We always look forward to connecting with the parents and guardians of our students. We hope you all had a great time meeting your students' advisors and teachers. We all look forward to bringing out the best in your students this school year.
On Friday, September 9, we had a wonderful Convocation program. The word means “calling together” and is a common way for schools, colleges, and universities to begin the school year. It has become a tradition at East Catholic that we enjoy sharing with our students to start the school year off strong. We began the day with an All-School Mass, with our chaplain, Father Jaime Maldonado-Avilés, as celebrant. Following Mass, we re-instilled our theme of the year: grit. We heard from Mr. Urbanski and Jade Colon '23, who both shared their personal experiences with overcoming challenges and how they were able to persevere through dedication and a positive mindset. Students then broke into groups with their advisors to discuss our summer read, This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. We then ended the day with the whole school together in the auditorium to recap the day's events. The day went extremely well, and I am continuously proud of our community's ability to support one another.
On Tuesday, September 13, our freshman class gathered together at St. Bartholomew Church in Manchester to celebrate their Freshmen Retreat. Each year, our classes have the opportunity to gather together as one grade to get to know each other better and grow together in their faith. We always enjoy having the Freshmen Retreat early in the school year, as this is a great opportunity for them to get to know their new classmates outside of the classroom. Our phenomenal team of Peer Ministers led the day, which included both discussion and reflection. It was Mrs. Seaver's first retreat as the new Director of Campus Ministry, and she certainly shined in her new role!
We have officially kicked off our annual Walk-A-Thon here at East. This is our largest student-led fundraiser throughout the year. Last year, we raised over $60,000, which went towards our Integrated Technology Center and tuition assistance. The Walk-A-Thon event will be held on campus on Friday, October 14, as part of our Homecoming Week celebration. Each student is encouraged to participate and help us reach our goal! Students were sent home with their Walk-A-Thon packet on Thursday. We will be discussing the event more in-depth during Advisory on Monday, and students and families will receive an email from our Advancement team on Monday recapping all of the information, so keep an eye out!
Fall sports are underway, and it is always great to see our teams don the blue and white. We have had great attendance at all of our games, and it is wonderful to see familiar faces in the crowd. We have our home opener for football tonight at the Cheney Tech field, so come out and show your support at 6:30 p.m.! It will be a "Caroline Blue Out" for our fan section.
Our Stage East has also been hard at work preparing for their upcoming production of "Clue." This will be such a fun play for both our actors and our fans to watch. Make sure to save the date for October 28 and 29 to come check it out!
We are excited to see applications already rolling in for prospective students for the 2023–2024 school year! On Thursday, October 6, we will be hosting our annual Fall Open House. Help us in spreading the word and making this a great event. Also, make sure to listen on your radio and keep an eye out on your TVs for our new East Catholic commercial that begins airing today!
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
News from the Hill – September 2, 2022
To the East Catholic Family,
The 2022–2023 school year is off and running! It has been great to have our students back on campus. We enjoyed our week of welcoming students through our Orientation programs and had a wonderful New Families Picnic on Saturday!
Our theme of the year is "Grit." We spoke with our students this week to introduce this theme, which entails perseverance in the face of adversity. We will be doing programming throughout the year in relation to this theme. Over the summer, all students were required to read "This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women" as our One Book, One Community. Each English class will begin the year covering this book. Next Friday, we will have our Convocation program during which we will come together as an entire student body to discuss the book and relate to our own personal stories of how we've exercised grit and experienced the ability to use our failures as a growth lesson.
This year, we are also welcoming exciting new faces to our faculty! As our Director of Campus Ministry, we welcome Mrs. Maggie Seaver. In our English Department, we welcome Mr. Thomas Burke. In our Language Department, we welcome Mr. Robert Caldwell (Latin), Mr. Joshua Gladstone (French), and Mr. Timothy Shaffer (Spanish). In our Science Department, we welcome Mrs. Romina Italia, who will join us part-time teaching Biology. In our Social Studies Department, we welcome Ms. Tiana Lamontagne, who will join us part-time, teaching World Civilization. In our Technology Department, we welcome Mr. Domenic Burby. In our Athletics Department, we welcome Mr. Jordan Jeroszko as our part-time assistant AD. Please join us in welcoming them to our school community! You will have the opportunity to meet many of them at Back to School Night next Thursday, September 8, at 6:00 p.m.
We are continuing this year with our Advisory Program. Advisors are faculty and staff members throughout the building who have a group of 10-12 advisees each. Each student during Orientation met with their advisor and will continue to meet with them throughout the year. The Advisory program promotes meaningful relationships between teachers, staff, students, and parents while providing support to families. Through weekly meetings with their advisor, students experience a more personalized environment set to observe and encourage academic and social progress throughout high school. Advisors will serve as the first touch point for parents that are concerned about their student within school. At Back to School Night, each family will get to meet with their student's advisor for an introduction. We are looking forward to growing on the success that the Advisory program brings to East.
A few calendar notes:
- Monday, September 5 - Labor Day (No School)
- Tuesday, September 6 - First Official Day of School
- Thursday, September 8 - Back to School Night at 6:00 p.m.
- Friday, September 9 - Convocation/One Book, One Community (11:30 a.m. dismissal)
A few thoughts about drop-off and pick-up:
School begins at 7:32 a.m., and there is often traffic entering in the morning, so please plan accordingly. When dropping off in the morning, please be aware of a few options and suggestions.
- If your son or daughter has athletic equipment to drop off, feel free to drive around the back of the building and drop off by the gym.
- If you are dropping off in the main circle, please drive around the circle as far as possible to allow traffic to continue moving.
- Please be careful at pick-up in the main circle as it gets pretty crowded!
Exciting Projects:
Thank you to our generous donors throughout the 2021–2022 school year! Because of your contributions, we were able to break ground this summer on the construction of our new Integrated Technology Center. In a world of ever-changing technology, our new center will allow students to develop new skills that will carry them into the future to become responsible, independent, and creative users of information and technology. Included in the ITC will be 3D printers, a Computer-Aided Design Lab, a TV and Media Broadcast Studio, and it will serve as the new home for our Robotics Team to design and engineer their robots for competition. The ITC will be open for all students in the coming months.
In addition to the creation of our Integrated Technology Center, many of you will notice when driving onto campus that the Annex building has been fenced off. This summer, many hours were spent cleaning out the building. We will be beginning demolition on the building soon. The Annex building is a rich piece of our history here at East Catholic, as it served as the original convent for our Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The Sisters, whose order founded East Catholic High School in 1961, lived in the Annex building for many years. It later served as classrooms for our students and offices for our staff. When the math and science wing was added to East Catholic, all classrooms and offices moved out of the Annex. Once it comes down, it will be turned into additional green space to welcome all of you onto campus.
There is no shortage of excitement in the building as we've gotten underway with the school year this week! Throughout this newsletter, you will find important information and updates from various departments throughout the school.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President