A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

Aside from rainforest weather conditions, all is well on the Hill. The Class of 2025 is down to single digits for remaining class days, Spring teams are qualifying for state tournaments, the final concert of the year was a great success, and 15 of our students received the Sacraments of Initiation at the Cathedral of St. Joseph!

Many thanks to Father Matt, our Religion teachers, and the Campus Ministry office for their help in getting 15 of our current students prepared for the Sacraments of Initiation. Archbishop Coyne presided over the special service at the Cathedral of St. Joseph on April 27th. So impressive on many fronts!

I am always blown away by the talented artists and musicians who entertain us at art shows and concerts. On May 1st, we were lucky to see their work on display at the Spring Art Show and Concert. Bittersweet as we bid farewell to our seniors, but it was another wonderful evening. Thank you to our Art and Music teachers for all of their guidance and support.

On Monday, April 28th, our East Catholic community joined with other Catholics and non-Catholics in recognizing the life of an amazing man, Pope Francis. It has been nostalgic to look back on his many accomplishments from the past and to see the legacy that will carry on forever. Special thanks to Sister Peggy for her story of going to see Pope Francis years ago.

“Eternal rest grant to Pope Francis, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in Peace.”

The Class of 2025 has a lot going on over the next two weeks. Their final day of classes is Thursday, May 15th, Senior Prom is on the 16th, Senior Farewell (followed by Graduation Practice) is on the 19th, and the Senior Project Graduation Picnic is on the 20th. Baccalaureate Mass is on Wednesday, May 21st at 6:00 at St. Margaret Mary Church in South Windsor, and Graduation is at the Cathedral of St. Joseph at 6:00 on Thursday, May 22nd.

There is no school on Friday, May 23rd or Monday, May 26th.

Please join me in congratulating our Seniors. We wish them well and hope they will stay connected to their East Catholic family.

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan ‘85

Chief Administrator

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Sacraments of Initiation

Congratulations to our students who received their sacraments during a special service with Archbishop Christopher Coyne on April 27th!

"God, through these Sacraments of Christian Initiation, you have filled us with the desire to become faithful Christians. As we continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge, we ask that you remain with us, that you respond to our hopes, that you answer our prayers. We ask this through your Son, Christ our Lord. Amen."

Teacher Spotlight

Heather Brasche, visual arts teacher and Department Chair for Visual and Fine Arts, earned a highlighted spot at an art show for the CT Arts Education Association (CAEA). The show is on display at Work_Space on Main Street in Manchester until May 22nd! We encourage all of our East Catholic community to check it out! Congrats, Ms. Brasche!

Spring Concert and Art Show

The Spring Concert and Art Show took place on Thursday, May 1st. We are so proud of the work of our visual arts students and the performances from our musicians. Thank you to all who came to celebrate the talent in our building!

Pope Francis Memorial Service

Campus Ministry held a schoolwide memorial service for Pope Francis on Monday, April 28th. The Prayer Service was led by Father Matt and several peer ministers, with an introduction from Mrs. Cavanaugh and a reflection from Sister Peggy. Campus Ministry has also created a display on the bulletin board outside their office to honor the life of Pope Francis.

Rebuilding Manchester

An East Catholic team of 18 students and two staff members rallied in the drizzle on Saturday, April 26 to take part in National Rebuild Day with Rebuilding Manchester, an organization dedicated to helping the Manchester community thrive. For three hours, the team assisted a disabled Manchester homeowner with heavy yard work tasks like tree trimming, hedging, weeding, and leaf gathering.

Senior Retreat

The Class of 2025 had their final East Catholic retreat on April 22nd at Holy Family Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in West Hartford. They rotated through panels on mindfulness, healthy habits, and mental health, and enjoyed a spiritual walk through the facility’s beautiful labyrinth. Father Matt had an inspiring homily for the group as they embark on graduation in one month!

Shelter Meal

Wednesday, April 30th, Campus Ministry prepared and delivered an appetizing meal of chicken, rice, salad, bread and cookies to ImmaCare Shelter in Hartford. Thank you to all the students who stayed after school to volunteer in service to others!

Athletes on the Run!

On Wednesday, April 16th, Braeden Knotts and Riley Larkin ran the 7th Annual CT Distance Fest at Xavier High School. Braeden ran the 5000m for boys in 16:08 and Riley ran the 5000m for girls in 19:20. Nice work!

CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award

Congratulations to our 2024-25 CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award winners: Braeden Knotts & Karolina Prytko! We were fortunate to celebrate & recognize them at the statewide banquet on Sunday, May 4th at the Aqua Turf Club!

Project Purple

On April 26th, East Catholic Boys Lacrosse teamed up with Suffield High School to support Project Purple and honor the life and legacy of Bradley Paul '12, a beloved alum, athlete, and coach, who courageously battled pancreatic cancer.

Bradley was a proud 2012 graduate of East Catholic and a dedicated member of the lacrosse team. His passion for the game carried through college and, after his diagnosis at age 25, eventually brought him back home. He joined the East Catholic coaching staff alongside Coach Bushnell, Coach Bianchi, and Coach McOmber (now at Suffield HS). His love for the sport, his wisdom, and his spirit deeply impacted every player he mentored.

Though Bradley passed away in July 2024, his influence lives on. At the Project Purple game, Coach Bushnell shared heartfelt words at halftime, and in a powerful tribute, Bradley’s jersey #18 was officially retired and presented to his father and brother.

We are proud to support Project Purple’s mission to fight pancreatic cancer and proud to carry on Bradley’s legacy both on and off the field.

Class of 2025



Seniors, please be sure your Naviance account is up-to-date. If you have made your final decision, make sure it is recorded on Naviance, as well as all other colleges you have received a response from- accepted, deferred, or rejected. This is helpful data for the counseling office going forward.

If they have not already, your colleges will also start asking for final transcripts. In order to have that ready as soon as possible, we need you to update where you will be attending as soon as possible.

Juniors

At this point we hope that many of you may have had the opportunity to visit colleges and have started listing them on Naviance under "Colleges I'm Thinking About." This is an important step in building your potential college list. Remember, Naviance is the platform we use to send out your letters and transcripts electronically to those colleges that you apply to next fall. You will not apply to colleges through Naviance. You will apply to colleges using the Common Application (CA) or through institution-specific applications. If you haven't already done so, remember to ask two teachers if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for college on your behalf.

Underclassmen

As we celebrate the Seniors in the next couple of weeks, remember that you are not done with the year! Stay focused on each assignment and assessment. Meet with your teachers! Exams will be here before you know it, and you will want a strong finish to the year. 

The Tom Malin Eagle Invitational

The 34th Annual Eagle Invitational is back at Blackledge on Friday, June 13th! The website is live for registration! Please join us as we gather for a day of golf and fundraising for athletics and recognize the numerous contributions of this year's honoree, Chris Malone '78!

The early bird pricing ends on May 1st! Make sure to sign up TODAY!

Visit the event site here: 2025 ECHS Tom Malin Eagle Golf Invitational

Annual Appeal

East Catholic is thriving as a school community. We continue to send our well-prepared graduates off to excellent colleges and universities, our athletic and arts programs continue to shine, and our community finds strength in each and every member. Our $7,000,000 budget for the coming year includes a $1,000,000 Annual Appeal goal, a threshold we were able to surpass last year. I hope you will join your fellow Eagles in making a gift to our wonderful school!

Donate here: 2024-2025 EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL APPEAL

Project Graduation

The Project Graduation Committee is looking for a few more volunteers to help make it a memorable night for our Class of 2025! See 2 opportunities below for how you can help:

Opportunity 1: Contribute to our Senior Raffle with Basket Donations!

To make the night even more thrilling, we're organizing a raffle/drawing where all graduating seniors will have the chance to win fantastic gifts and prizes. We're kindly asking for your support in making this happen. Would you consider donating items to be included in our raffle baskets? Your generosity, no matter the size, will be greatly appreciated by our seniors.

To help us with planning and any additional shopping needed, please sign up using the link here and provide a brief description of the item(s) you plan to donate: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944ABAC2FA3F4C70-56504352-east#/

For gift cards and monetary donations, you can mail them or drop them off at the school office. Please ensure the envelope is clearly marked "Project Graduation."

We will be collecting larger item donations in the school office from Wednesday, May 14th through Monday, May 19th.

Opportunity 2: Volunteer as a Chaperone for Project Graduation!

We're also seeking enthusiastic underclassman parents to help chaperone the Project Graduation event on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025, from approximately 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. This is a "lock-in" event, and chaperone volunteers are crucial for ensuring the safety of our students by monitoring exits to prevent students from leaving and ensuring no unauthorized individuals enter. We also have opportunities to help with set up and decorating from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM and with clean up from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

We understand that seniors prefer not to have their own parents present at this event. Therefore, we are specifically reaching out to our wonderful underclassman parent community for support. When your child is a senior, you'll appreciate the help of other parents – this is a great chance to pay it forward!

Please review the available chaperone slots and sign up using the link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944ABAC2FA3F4C70-56504380-east#/

If you have any questions, please reach out to ECProjectGraduation@gmail.com.

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Thank you to everyone who helped us show our appreciation for the wonderful staff and faculty at East Catholic! Through your food, donations, and time, we were able to host a beautiful luncheon for all of those who take care of our children during the school day. Your help was appreciated more than you know!

Schedule a Visit!

If you know of a student interested in attending East Catholic High School, please be sure they have experienced our "Eagle for a Day" program and shadowed a current student!

Register here: Shadow Day Registration

All prospective families and students who have completed the application packet, submitted transcripts from their current school, and taken the Entrance Exam should be hearing from the Admission Department soon!



Please contact Chad Malone '08 (malonec@echs.com) or Abby Diemar '00 (diemara@echs.com) with any questions.

Uniforms and Spirit Gear!

The Rainbow Graphic Spirit Store is open every month from the 1st through the 15th!

Place your orders here: Home | East Catholic (inksoft.com)

We also have our in-house Eagles' Nest in the front lobby! Click here to purchase items and pick-up in school: Home | Eagles Nest (square.site)

Please reach out to Helen Tully (tullyh@echs.com) or Shyanne VanAllen (vanallens@echs.com) with any questions!

The 2024-2025 School Calendar has been posted to the ECHS website and portal.

Please reach out to Mary Suter (suterm@echs.com) with any questions.