A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

The 2025-26 school year is off to a great start! After a week of orientation days, we started classes after Labor Day. There is a palpable difference throughout the school, however, due to the change in cell phone policy. After lengthy discussions, we have decided that cell phones will not be accessed throughout the school day. I had no idea how students would respond, but they have been incredibly compliant. Now when students are eating lunch they are actually talking with each other. In the hallways between classes everyone is greeting each other and giving high fives. The teachers are seeing more engagement in class discussions. Eliminating the distraction of their phones has made our wonderful learning environment even more vibrant. Clearly, the decision was a good one.

This year’s theme is ACCOUNTABILITY, and we wrapped up the first week of classes with our first all-school Mass and Convocation. This year’s speaker was Cheryl Sharp, deputy director of the Connecticut Human Rights and Opportunities organization. Ms. Sharp discussed her successful career as a lawyer and human rights advocate. She spoke of the importance of mercy and grace in a challenging world. We were blessed to hear from her.

On Thursday of this week, many parents joined us for Back to School Night. It was great to see many familiar faces and some new faces as well. It was clear that the parents are fully on board with no cell phones during the school day as the auditorium erupted in applause when I mentioned the new policy and the positive results.

We wrapped up week two with another speaker, John Halligan, who spoke of his son Ryan’s tragic death following years of bullying. Mr. Halligan poignantly spoke of the horrible pain and suffering that bullying causes. While we do not have a terrible problem with bullying here at East Catholic, we are not immune from it, and we are making it a priority this year and future years to address any unkind acts. We will be keeping the topic at the forefront and have made it clear that there is a zero-tolerance approach going forward.

It has been great to see our fall sports teams in action and doing so well. Stage East rehearsals are in full swing as well. There are so many activities going on, and I encourage all of our students to get involved! Looking forward to a great year!



Should you have any questions, concerns, or celebrations, please be in touch.

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan ‘85

Chief Administrator

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Convocation 2025

What a powerful start to the school year! On Friday, September 5th, we came together as a community for our annual Convocation, which began with a beautiful Mass. It was the perfect way to reinforce our school theme for the year: "Accountability."

After Mass, we were honored to welcome special guest Cheryl Sharp, deputy director of the State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights organization (CHRO). She joined our students and staff for an inspiring presentation and an engaging Q&A session focused on this year's "One Book, One Community" read, Just Mercy. The book, a powerful story about justice and redemption, sparked important conversations in advisory groups throughout the morning.

A huge thank you to everyone—students, faculty, and staff—for their thoughtful participation, and especially to Mrs. Bouvier, Kalli Bevans, and Alex Musiitwa for facilitating the discussion with Ms. Sharp. The day was a testament to the strength of our community and our commitment to learning and growing together.

A Message From Dean Reilly

To keep the flow of traffic moving in the morning, any student in the process of learning to drive should head to the back parking lot or the Junior Lot to switch drivers. Please do not pull into the front circle to park and switch. Thank you!

As the school year is underway, we wanted to share an important opportunity to help you navigate the financial aid process for college.

We're excited to announce our College Funding Workshop presented by Barnum Financial is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th at 6:00 PM via Zoom. This virtual workshop is ideal for families of senior and junior students who are actively planning for college, but we encourage freshman and sophomore families to attend and begin gathering information!

This session will cover a variety of topics, including:

• Need-Based Aid Information and Resources for Merit Aid
• FAFSA vs. CSS Profile
• Tax Code Incentives
• Tuition Discounting
• Minimizing Student Loans

Please register in advance using the link below: 

Registration Link: https://financialguide.zoom.us/meeting/register/cihzmVUeQj2XKZriCEPpqg

Passcode: College

If you have any questions, please reach out to Stefanie Palma, School and College Counseling Department Chair, at palmas@echs.com.

Stage East

East Catholic High School's Stage East presents: The Play That Goes Wrong! Get ready for a night of laughing until your sides hurt.

When:

Friday, October 24 at 7:00 PM

Saturday, October 25 at 1:00 PM (matinee)

Saturday, October 25 at 7:00 PM

Where: East Catholic Auditorium

Tickets: $10 at the door

Don't miss this hilarious production!

Please reach out to Mrs. Quackenbush (quackenbushj@echs.com) with any questions.

Fall Sports

Our Fall sports are underway! Goodluck to all our teams this season! 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

Home Opener Tailgate

Get ready to show your Eagle pride! We're kicking off the new football season with a special Alumni & Friends Homecoming Tailgate before the first home game. Join us for a day of community, food, and football as our Eagles take on Branford!

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, September 27th
• Time: Tailgate starts at 10:00 AM
• Location: East Catholic High School Senior Lot
• Kickoff: Noon at Cheney Tech Field

Bring your favorite game-day snacks, beverages, and games, and meet us in the senior lot! This is a great opportunity to reconnect with old classmates and cheer on the next generation of East Catholic Eagles.

Please note: Cars must remain in the senior lot until at least 12:30 PM. For everyone's safety, we do not want cars navigating through active tailgates.

To help us with our planning, RSVP by using the QR code in the flyer below or the link here: https://forms.gle/ab35xjjEM77vh62D8

We can't wait to see you there!

Go Eagles!

Football Fundraiser

Fall is in the air! Support the East Catholic Football team and get your yard ready for the season with our annual Mum Sale!

These beautiful mums are locally grown and come in a variety of colors. Place your order by September 20! Pick-up is September 27 at East Catholic High School.

Pre-order now using this link: East Catholic Football Mum Fundraiser

Orientation Week

Our school year began with our traditional week of orientations for each individual class before we met together as a school on August 29th. Campus Ministry led our seniors on a special outing at Winding Trails in Farmington on Monday and then facilitated community- and faith-building activities for our juniors, sophomores, and freshmen the rest of the week.

If you know of a student interested in attending East Catholic High School, please be sure to share their important dates with them:

Open House: Thursday, October 16th

Register here for the Open House: https://forms.gle/HLmcmQh9ye6NsXAZ9

*Entrance Exams:

Saturday, October 25th at 8:30 am

Saturday, November 8th at 8:30 am

Saturday, December 6th at 8:30 am

Register here for the exam: https://forms.gle/pypER9JDfHy4DWuE6

*These 3 exams are important for consideration of merit scholarships. (Other financial aid options are available.)

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

Welcome Back!

We can't wait to see some new faces, as well as our returners, at our Parents' Association Meetings this year! Remember, ALL are invited! Come to hear updates on the school, learn about upcoming events, and meet some fellow parents and guardians!

Be a part of the success of the 2025-2026 school year!

For more information on upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, visit

East Catholic High School - Parents Association (echs.com)



Any questions? Email echsPA@echs.com.

Purse Bingo!

Get ready to shout "BINGO!" Our annual Purse Bingo event is back on Friday, September 26th! Grab your friends for a fun night and a chance to win a stylish designer handbag, all while supporting the ECHS Class of 2026 Project Graduation.

This is event to open to ALL- alumni, students, families, and friends in the community.

Sign up here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/purse-bingo-13

Questions? Email ECProjectGraduation@gmail.com

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 Mary Suter (suterm@echs.com) with any questions.

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