Messages from the President
News from the Hill - Friday, January 10, 2025
Dear East Catholic Family,
Happy New Year! I hope you were able to enjoy some rest and quality time with your loved ones over the holidays. As we step into the second half of the school year, East Catholic continues to be a hub of activity, with plenty of exciting events and opportunities to celebrate.
As we approach the upcoming midterm exams, we want to remind everyone that these important assessments will take place over the next two weeks. A review day is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14, giving students an opportunity to revisit material before their exams. Please make use of the weekend and review day to ensure students feel confident and prepared. Remember, your teachers are a valuable resource, so if you have any questions before exams, be sure to reach out to them.
On a celebratory note, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the grand reopening of the Rev. Robert E. Saunders Gymnasium that took place on January 2. It was a wonderful event where we had the chance to showcase our newly renovated facility, now complete with state-of-the-art bleachers, flooring, pads, and, of course, the proud display of our state championship banners. A big thank you to all the generous donors who made this project possible. As a token of our appreciation, donors were presented with a plaque crafted from the original bleachers. If you contributed to the project and were unable to attend on January 2, please reach out to Julie Scalora, Advancement Director, to receive your plaque. I also want to extend my gratitude to the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams and their coaches for providing exciting games during the event, as well as to our cheerleaders for adding energy and enthusiasm to the celebration. Additionally, we are deeply appreciative of the volleyball team, who were the first to use the gym in the fall. Their patience and flexibility in adjusting their schedules to allow for the final touches of the project were instrumental in making this reopening a reality.
Looking ahead, there are a couple of important dates to note:
Monday, January 20: Please remember that there will be no school on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Friday, January 24: There will be no school for students on Friday, January 24, as our faculty and staff will be participating in a retreat.
As we face the colder months ahead, please stay safe, warm, and healthy. We’re looking forward to all the exciting things to come in 2025 and wish everyone the best of luck as they prepare for their exams.
Take care, and as always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News from the Hill - Friday, December 13, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through Advent. Here at East Catholic, we are fully in the Christmas spirit! Our Donor Reception/Art Show/Christmas Concert was incredibly successful last night. We had a great turnout of donors and were entertained by artists, vocalists, and band members. It is one of my favorite nights of the year.
As we transition from Fall sports to Winter sports, I wanted to recognize the football team for wrapping up a very successful season. With a resounding 37-0 victory over Northwest Catholic in the Archbishop's Cup, the Eagles retained the cup for the fourth year in a row and finished the regular season at 9-1. In the first round of the Class S playoffs, East had to face Bloomfield High School, the only team to beat East in the regular season. East led for most of the game, but they fell 22-21 in the end. It was a great season. Congratulations to Coach Seaver and the entire team!
Winter sports began official games starting on Wednesday this week. Our girls’ hockey co-op won 6-3 against the Northwest/Mercy co-op. Other teams will have their first games in the coming weeks. Please come out and cheer on our talented student-athletes.
As you will see below, we are looking forward to the Grand Reopening of the Reverend Robert E. Saunders Gymnasium on January 2. If you have not seen the gym yet, you are in for a real treat! New bleachers and a newly resurfaced floor make the space pop. The girls’ basketball team will play Manchester High School at 5:00 p.m., followed by the grand reopening celebration, and then the boys’ basketball team will play Newington at 7:00 p.m. Should be a fun night! Hope to see you there.
Please note the following calendar announcement: we will have an 11:30 a.m. dismissal on Friday, December 20. The half-day will conclude with our Christmas program from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. School offices will be closed from December 23 through 27 and 1December 30 through January 1. Classes will resume on January 2.
On behalf of everyone at East Catholic, I wish the entire East Catholic family a blessed and joyful Christmas!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News from the Hill - Friday, November 15, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
It has been another couple of busy weeks here on The Hill. We wrapped up Walk-a-thon on Friday with a celebration in the newly renovated Rev. Robert E. Saunders Gymnasium. Lots of fun prizes were given out to dozens of students. Many thanks to all who contributed to the total raised, over $66,000! A portion of the funds raised will be used for some needed landscaping work on campus.
On Monday, November 11, we honored Veterans from the extended East Catholic family. This was our third year doing the event, and each year it keeps getting better! Students made care packages for active military, heard from a panel of Veterans, made videos thanking Veterans, and a group went off campus to East Cemetery in Manchester to put coins on Veteran grave markers. We hosted a great group of Veterans with a pancake breakfast, and heard from our keynote speaker, David Callahan ’83 who served in the US Navy. Many thanks to Adrienne Andrews and Kathy Reilly for the hard work in organizing the day.
We had a Parents’ Association meeting on Tuesday. I highly encourage all parents to attend one of their monthly meetings. They get updates from me and other staff about how the school year is going, and they help plan and run various events throughout the year. It is also a great way to meet other parents. The next meeting will be January 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room.
The girls’ swim team had eight swimmers compete in the CIAC Class S finals and finished fourth out of twenty-four teams! Congratulations on a great season! Football is still playing. They are 7-1 going into this week’s game at Plainville on Friday night. Their final regular season game will be on Wednesday, November 27 at 5:00 p.m. at Cheney Tech vs. Northwest Catholic. It should be a great game!
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News from the Hill - Friday, November 1, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
It is hard to believe that it is November 1! As usual, we continue to stay very busy here on The Hill. Congratulations to Stage East on a fun and colorful production of Alice in Wonderland last weekend! I am always impressed with how much work goes into the set design, costumes, and - of course - the acting and crew work. Thanks to Mrs. Quackenbush for her leadership and to all who played a part in the performance.
Fall sports regular season has wrapped up for some sports, but we have others involved in post-season competition. Girls’ soccer will host Cheshire in a first-round game of the CIAC Class L tournament on Friday, November 11 at 2:00 p.m.. On Monday, November 4 girls’ volleyball will travel to Immaculate for a 6:00 p.m. match in the Class S tournament. Girls’ swimming will have Class S qualifiers on November 9. Football (5-1) continues their season on Friday, November 1 at Rocky first-round are home at Cheney Tech vs. Lewis Mills next Thursday, November 7. Huge congratulations to Braeden Knotts who finished 3rd in both the CCC Cross Country league championships and the CIAC Class SS race, qualified for the state open, which was yesterday at Wickham Park, and finished 58th. Well done, Braeden! Hope to see many of you out supporting our teams.
We had a fun day of school yesterday with many students dressed up for Halloween! Thanks to everyone who got into the spirit! Next week is Spirit Week as we bring the Walk-a-thon to a close.
Monday – Holiday Dress
Tuesday – Neon Day
Wednesday – “Dress Your Age”
Thursday – Team Jerseys
Friday – Class Colors (9th Green, 10th Red, 11th White, 12th Blue, Faculty/Staff Purple)
It is always fun to see how many students get into Spirit Week. We conclude the week with the walk, some fun games, lunch, and a pep rally on Friday.
Lastly, we are excited for our 3rd Annual Veterans Day program on Monday, November 11. Rather than having a full day off of school, we ask the students to come in for a half-day. We hear from veterans in our East Catholic family as well as learn about those who have served, how to fold an American Flag, and complete some community service for Veterans. Please see the flyer below, and if you or your family members served or are serving, please join us for breakfast.
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News from the Hill - Friday, October 18, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
Fall arrived this week with some chillier temperatures, but highs in the 70’s are on tap for the weekend. We have shifted to winter dress code, so plan accordingly.
The renovated Rev. Robert E. Saunders Gymnasium is open for business! Our volleyball teams have played a number of games in there over the past two weeks, and it is phenomenal! We had the whole school in there today for our fall pep rally.
Last night we held our annual Fall open house. We had a great turnout of prospective students and their families. Open house is our single biggest admissions event each year, and people love it. Many thanks to our faculty, staff, student ambassadors, and parent volunteers for helping out on such a successful evening.
If you are looking for a good high school football game, head over to Bloomfield High School tonight at 6:30 p.m. East Catholic (4-0) visits Bloomfield (3-2) in the CT football game of the week. Good luck Eagles!
Next weekend we are excited to see Stage East perform in Alice in Wonderland on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Come out and support our actors and actresses!
As you can see below, there are a number of events coming up in the next few weeks. We hope to see our East Catholic family members out in full force!
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News from the Hill - Friday, October 4, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
We have hit the midpoint of the first quarter, and the time seems to fly by! Students, this is a good time to check your class grade books to see if any work is missing. Parents, remind them to do this! The end of the quarter will be here before you know it.
We should be able to be in the gym as early as next week. They are finishing the bleachers soon, and the volleyball team will host practices and games next week! It is a beautiful renovation and improvement.
We were blessed to have four members of our East Catholic family recognized for outstanding volunteer work for East Catholic at the HOPES (Help Our Parish Educators & Students) dinner, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Hartford. Charlie Crocini, Joe Reilly, Keri Watkins, and Sarah Kimball all received the St. John Neumann award. We cannot thank them all enough for their love of East Catholic and their dedication to the work they do for East.
On October 17, we will have our fall open house beginning at 6:30 p.m. Please spread the word to friends and families who might be interested. It is always a great night!
Good luck to all of our sports teams as they continue their seasons. Come out and support them when you can. In the next News From The Hill, we will feature our Stage East production of Alice in Wonderland.
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
East Catholic Newsletter - October 4, 2024
News from the Hill - Friday, September 20, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
It seems like the students are in the routine of school again after three weeks. They are getting used to the rotating academic schedule and can all find their classrooms at this point. After school, kids are off to sports and play practice. Even drop-off and pick-up seem a bit better!
The freshmen had their retreat last week, and it was a great success. I stopped by for lunch with them, and they were having a great time. Many thanks to the campus ministry office and the peer ministers for their work organizing and running the retreat. Freshman elections will be in the middle of October. I hope to see a competitive slate of candidates!
Two physical plant projects are nearing completion. In the front of the school, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary that we took off of the original convent building from 1960. The building was taken down in 2021, and, in addition to the statue, we also salvaged some bricks from the building. Thanks to generous donors and skilled craftsmen, there is now a grotto in front of Mary made from those bricks. The grotto is there in honor of the sisters from Notre Dame de Namur who worked at East Catholic over the years – 71 in all! Thanks to Charlie Hathaway '93 and Aaron Ansaldi '88 for their generous dedication to the project.
The second project is the gym renovation project. Back in the summer, a number of employees along with other volunteers took the old bleachers apart, painted the walls, and sanded the floor to prep it for a new paint job. We put the final coat of sealant on the floor on Wednesday, and the bleachers arrive next Monday. See the picture in the linked newsletter below for a sneak peek!
There will be a scholarship reception, on Sunday, September 22 at 2:00 p.m. for all students who receive named awards towards tuition. Many of the families who have contributed to these grants will be there in person to present the awards. If you receive a named award, please be there!
Lastly, there is a lot happening here at East. Please get involved. Many of you are already part of a team, a group, or an activity. If you are not, please come out and support our teams and others.
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator
News From The Hill - Friday, September 6, 2024
Dear East Catholic Family,
We had a great couple of weeks to kick off the 2024–2025 school year! We began with four days of orientation by respective class. The Class of 2025 started on campus on Monday and then quickly boarded buses to Winding Trails in Farmington. They had a lot of fun on the high and low rope elements and enjoyed a lunch from Highland Park Market before heading back to school. I expect big things from our seniors. The underclassmen had successful orientation days on campus, culminating with a Freshmen Social on Thursday.
After a nice long weekend, we began classes on Tuesday and had three fairly normal days. Many thanks to all the parents and guardians who came out for Back to School Night on Thursday. It was great to see new and familiar faces in the building. One parent I talked to said that she had been to eleven years of Back to School Nights in a row with four different children. Quite a streak!
The highlight of the week, however, came on Friday with our Convocation program. We began with Advisory before assembling in the auditorium for our first all-school Mass of the year. Following a beautiful Mass with our new Chaplain, Father Matthew Collins, we settled in to hear from Javier Zamora, the author of our One Book, One Community summer read, Solito.
Mr. Zamora did not disappoint. The format was “in-conversation” with a current senior, Maria Jose Aedo-Marcucio, and a recent graduate, Valentina Garcia Solis '23, asking questions and Javier responding. His down-to-earth delivery and thoughtfulness were immediately evident, and the students were enrapt by what he had to say. After a 30-minute slot for small group discussion, the whole school returned to ask additional questions of Mr. Zamora. Once again, his sincere, honest, and poignant responses met with great applause. Following the program, the hallways had a line of 100+ students waiting to get their books signed. Please ask your children about what they thought of the day.
I often talk about what a special place East Catholic is, and it is days like Friday that reinforce that notion. We are blessed to have faculty, staff, and students who care about each other. What a great way to start the year!
Please be in touch with any thoughts, concerns, or positive celebrations!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ‘85
Chief Administrator