A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

I hope all is well with all of our families. Most of this edition of News from the Hill will focus on our Seniors and the events celebrating their years at East Catholic. Please join me in congratulating the Class of 2026 and supporting them in their final days.

Thursday was the last day of classes for the Seniors, and we finished the day with an all-school Mass, the Feast of the Ascension. It was the Class of 2026’s last all-school Mass, and Father Daniel delivered an excellent homily. Following Mass, as we always do, we all sang the school song, East Catholic Blue and White, loud and proud! Following Mass, I thanked Father Daniel for his excellent first year at East Catholic. We are blessed to have him.

Friday, we held the Senior Prom at A Villa Louisa. It is always a fun event. Many thanks to the senior class moderator, Adrienne Andrews, and the Senior Class Executive Board for their work in organizing the evening.

On Sunday, the 17th, all three Archdiocesan High Schools will have Baccalaureate Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford at 2:30. Seniors should arrive by 2:00 and wear their graduation gowns (no caps or cords). There will be a reception following Mass in the Cathedral. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Senior Farewell is on Monday, May 18th, followed by Graduation Rehearsal at the Cathedral. Both are required events for Seniors. Project Graduation is on Tuesday at Pinebrook Swim and Tennis Club in Glastonbury from 6:00-10:00.

Seniors must also be at the Cathedral on Thursday, May 21st at 9:30 am. Students should carpool if possible, but we will have our final rehearsal at that time. Graduation will be at 6:00 that evening at the Cathedral. Students should arrive by 5:00 and make their way to the basement. We can’t wait to celebrate with our Seniors and their families!

Phew! As you can see, lots going on! There will be no school on Friday, May 22nd following Graduation, nor on Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day. Underclassmen return to classes on Tuesday, May 26th, and final exams begin with a review day on June 3rd. We know our Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors will finish strong!

As always, please be in touch with comments, concerns, and celebrations.

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan '85

President

Follow Us!

East Catholic is a busy place! There are new things happening daily with students, staff, and programs. Be sure to follow us on your favorite social media apps for the latest updates!

Facebook: East Catholic High School

Instagram: @eastcatholichighschool

Twitter: @EastCatholicHS

Yearbook

All students can pick up their yearbook orders starting Monday, May 18th at 2:00pm from Mr. Burby in Room 201. If you did not pre-purchase a yearbook, they can still be purchased through Mr. Burby for $80, payable by cash or check made out to East Catholic High School.

There will also be a Spring supplement available for pickup later in June, but the release date is still TBA. 

Travel with East

We have two trips being offered in 2027. Contact Mrs. Italia with any additional questions at italiar@echs.com.

Belize - February Break 2027 (Rising Juniors '27 and Sophomores '28)

Portugal - June 2027 (Rising Sophomores '28 and Freshmen '29)

School Uniforms

Our school's Back-to-School Promotion Week is confirmed with Tommy Hilfiger. Our unique promotion code will be sent in a separate email to families the week before the sale. Please keep an eye out for that message, as the code is required to receive the discount.

Sign up for emails here: EmailSignUp

Swing Into Action!

Registrations are flying in for the 35th Annual Tom Malin Eagle Invitational! Join us on Friday, June 12th at Blackledge Country Club in Hebron, CT, as we come together to support East Catholic Athletics and recognize this year's honoree, Joan Penders! This year's event has a new start time of 11:00am! To register to sponsor the event or play in the tournament, click here: The 35th Annual Tom Malin Eagle Invitational

Senior Information

The School and College Counseling office is eager to get information from the Class of 2026 before graduation, so please be sure everything has been entered here: Google Form for Senior Parents

Fantastic Festival Winners

ECCE (East Catholic Choral Ensemble) competed in the Fantastic Festival at Lake Compounce. They received the highest award you can receive: a platinum medal. Congratulations to our incredible vocalists!

Arts at the Gala!

We are still glowing from the success of this year’s Spring Gala & Auction. This year, our focus was all about investing in the future of the Arts at East Catholic.

Our students were the true stars of the evening, sharing their gifts to show everyone exactly why the Arts are so important. Members of our Jazz Band, Stage East, and ECCE were there to showcase their talents to those in attendance, while Natalie Rutar '27 worked on her incredible live painting of our school!

Thank you to Mr. Link, Mr. Brudz, Mr. Fiske, and Mrs. Quackenbush for organizing our Fine Arts students and being a special part of the evening!

1000 Wins!

East Catholic Boys Golf Coach Tom Malin recently notched his 1,000th combined career win (soccer and golf)!

Mr. Malin, who was the Athletic Director at East Catholic from 1980 until his retirement in 2016, won 2 state championships as a soccer coach and has 12 state titles (and counting) as East's longtime boys golf coach. He was also a state champion basketball player in 1965 as part of East Catholic's first graduating class. Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Coach Malin!

Spring Signing Day

We will celebrate all seniors committed to college athletics on Monday, May 18th at 12:30pm. This will take place in the main gym immediately following graduation practice. Families are invited to attend. If a student was previously part of our Fall Commitment Ceremony, please join us once more for the Spring celebration to honor ALL seniors who have now made their athletics decisions for 2026-2027.

Seniors- Please refer to the email from Mr. Dahlquist (dahlquistj@echs.com).

Game Schedules

You can find the most up-to-date sports schedules here: FusionPoint Sports (fpsports.org)

Select your team using the drop-down in the banner at the top and subscribe!

Please contact Jon Dahlquist (dahlquistj@echs.com) with any questions.

Get Your Gear!

Ready to cheer on your favorite teams?! Create your own spirit wear for games and pep rallies! Choose the product and design for the front and it will ship right to your home.

Order here: BSN Spirit Gear

Shelter Meal

Campus Ministry is in the home stretch of Shelter Meals. Last week we cooked up chicken, rice, green beans, rolls, and cookies for ImmaCare Shelter, and our next and last meal of the school year is May 19th for the South Park Inn. 

Overall this school year, Campus Ministry, with the help of 70 students, faculty, and staff, prepared 18 meals that served just under 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in the Hartford community. Well done, East Catholic! Many thanks to the generous donation from the Harvey family ('85) that makes this possible each year. 

Baccalaureate Mass

This Sunday, May 17th, the East Catholic community will gather for the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 2:30 p.m. We ask our entire school family to pray for our Seniors and their loved ones during this sacred milestone.

For those attending, please keep the following logistical details in mind:

Arrival and Seating Because we are celebrating alongside two other schools, there will be no student procession or recession. Students will be pre-seated in their designated pews before Mass begins.

• Seniors: Please arrive by 1:50 p.m. to be inside the Cathedral by 2:00 p.m. Archbishop Coyne will be taking separate class photos inside the church starting at 2:00 p.m., so prompt arrival is necessary. Dean Rielly will help guide East Catholic students to our block of seating in the front-left pews (facing the altar).

• Attire: Seniors must wear their graduation robes (no caps or cords).

• Families & Guests: Unreserved pews are open for all parents and family members.

• Liturgical Choir: Members must arrive at the Cathedral at 1:00 p.m. for rehearsal.

Parking and Accessibility: The Knights of Columbus will be on hand to assist with parking directions. If you require handicap accessibility, we recommend using the drop-off area at the elevator entrance on Asylum Avenue before parking.

Immediately following Mass, all families, faculty, and students are warmly invited to a reception with light refreshments in the newly renovated Cathedral basement. We look forward to celebrating together!

Last All-School Mass 2025-2026

Students celebrated the last all-school Mass of the year, Thursday, May 14th, and sent the seniors off on their last day of school with a rousing edition of the school song. The Mass also acknowledged all those who made sacraments this past month. 

Uniforms and Spirit Wear!

The Rainbow Graphic Spirit Store is open monthly from the 1st to 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 2025-2026 School Calendar has been posted to the ECHS website and portal.

Please reach out to Maica Lane-Umali (Lane-UmaliM@echs.com) with any questions.

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