East Catholic High School's Newsletter

A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

Thank you for your patience as you awaited the next installment of News From the Hill. Our previous Director of Marketing and Communication, Sarah Lomazzo '14, accepted a new position at UCONN last month, and our new Director, Kelly Shea '08, just started last week. I would like to thank Sarah for the dedication to the job while back at East, and we ask you to join in welcoming Kelly!

Well, we are all certainly staying busy here on campus! Classes are in full swing, sports are underway with multiple schedule changes due to the incessant rain, The Importance of Being Earnest is three weeks away from opening night, and both the Freshman and Junior classes have already had their class retreats. We closed out last week with our fall sports Pep Rally where we recognized our fall captains for each sport, raised the banner for winning the 2023 Division I Boys Basketball State Championship, and wrapped up a Robotics Slime-a-Teacher fundraiser with Dean Reilly "winning" the prize of being slimed!

We had our 2nd all-school assembly on September 28th. New this year, we will gather the school each month for an all-school assembly in the auditorium. Run by the student government, so far this year we have seen two editions of The Nest, a news video spotlighting events and programs on campus. We are also looking to feature individual students and their known or unknown talents.

On Tuesday, October 3rd, I attended the CIAC Sportsmanship Conference with seven of our students and the Athletic Department. East Catholic was one of the schools recognized for establishing a Class Act program at our school. Class Act programs (ours is called Eagles Take Action) are committed to good sportsmanship on and off the field, and we certainly embrace good sportsmanship.

Our Admissions Office has been busy as well. We hosted 8th graders from Covenant Prep in Hartford, and both St. James and St. Bridget from Manchester. These are fun days on campus, as we have graduates from our feeder schools who already attend East and are eager to host students for their shadow days.

Looking forward, we will transition from warm-weather dress code starting on Tuesday, October 10th. Essentially, this means no more shorts (no one will miss them more than I). We will have our Fall Open House on Thursday, October 12th at 6:30. Tell all of your friends and family with 7th and 8th graders to come visit our great school!

Lastly, we continue to ask families to pull forward around the front circle when dropping off in the morning. If your student has athletic gear that needs to be dropped at the gym, you are encouraged to drop them at the back circle. Many parents also utilize the side entrance (music wing). Let's all work together to make drop off and pick up as safe as possible.

Please be in touch any time with good news, questions, or concerns.

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan '85

Chief Administrator

Fall Pep Rally

On Friday, October 6th, students and staff celebrated the fall sports season with a pep rally. During the celebration, the cheerleaders showcased their talents, and, along with the Pep Band, got the crowd excited for the afternoon of events. Field Hockey was honored with a sportsmanship banner, Boys Basketball unveiled their Division I State Championship banner, and the captains of all fall sports teams were honored.

The event was packed with fun as Dean Reilly was slimed, students cheered for their classmates during musical chairs and plunger races, and we taught our freshman the "WE ARE EC" chant. It was an incredible celebration of the spirit of East Catholic!

Student Spotlight

Michael Creamer, a Senior and All-School President, was awarded the Presidential Service Award for his 500 service hours performed to help Rebuilding Together in Manchester. Michael has volunteered for this cause for over 2 years, and they have done some incredible work in the community. The award is from the White House and AmeriCorp and was signed by President Biden.

For more information on Rebuilding Manchester, visit their site www.rebuildingmanchester.org.

Uniforms

Just a reminder that shorts for boys ended on Friday, October 5th. As of Tuesday, October 10th, boys must be in full dress pants.

If you are in need of new uniform items, they can be purchased through Tommy Hilfiger on the School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger website. You will need to type in "East Catholic High School" to search our products.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jan Reilly, Dean of Student Life, via email at reillyj@echs.com or by calling the main office (860) 649-5336.

Fine Arts

Stage East

Stage East proudly presents Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest on stage in the East Catholic High School auditorium.

There are 3 opportunities to see this fantastic display of theater:

Friday, October 27th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 28th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, October 28th at 7:00 pm

Tickets are $10 and will be available for purchase at the door.

Campus Ministry

Junior Retreat

On Tuesday, October 3rd, the Junior class participated in their class retreat at Holy Family in West Hartford. Peer ministers led groups through activities and faith-filled bonding.

Athletics

Thank you!

We'd like to thank all the student-athletes, their parents, our athletic trainer, Stacy, and our bus drivers for their flexibility in scheduling adjustments this fall. The weather has been less than cooperative for our sporting events, and we appreciate every person's understanding of the changes to make it work best for our Eagles!

CIAC Sportsmanship Conference

On October 3rd, we took 7 of our Eagles to the statewide CIAC Sportsmanship conference at the Aqua Turf Club. We enjoyed great presentations and were so fortunate to be awarded another Michael's Achievement Cup for the 2022-2023 school year. It is generally a departmentwide sportsmanship award, but other deciding factors are sport success and programming options. We appreciate our Eagles being wonderful examples for the state to recognize!

Eagles at the Next Level

A new piece has been added to our athletic lobby- the Next Level board! This installation recognizes and celebrates student-athletes competing at the collegiate level. This will be updated constantly, and we look forward to adding more names this year!

Admission Office

Open House

We are so excited to welcome prospective students and families to tour our campus on Thursday, October 12th. The evening will provide the opportunity to meet with academic departments, athletics, fine arts, and check out student clubs. Registration is highly recommended but not required. You can find the link here.

We are actively accepting applications, so please spread the word to any 8th grader or prospective transfers you may know! The application can be found here .

Entrance Exams

Entrance Exams will take place on October 12, November 14, and November 18. The exam begins at 8:30am. Registration can be found at this link.

Shadow Days

If you know an 8th grader who would like to experience East throughout the day while following the schedule of a freshman or sophomore, encourage them to check out our “Eagle for a Day" program! Our students are very eager to welcome visitors, show off their special talents, and have a friendly chat while enjoying lunch in the cafeteria. Interested students can complete the registration by using this link. Once completed, the Admission Office will reach out to you and set up a date to shadow.

Please contact Abby Wehr Diemar '00 at (860) 649-5336, ext. 6456 with any questions regarding the Eagle for a Day program.

Advancement Office

WalkEast Walk-a-thon

The WalkEast Walk-a-thon to benefit East Catholic High School is less than 30 days away! On Friday, November 3rd, students and staff will participate in our largest spirit event and fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from this year's event will go towards the new Broadcast Center at the school. For more information and to support our fundraising efforts, click here.

Memorial Mass

Our Memorial Mass to celebrate the lives of our dearly departed alumni, faculty, and staff will take place on Sunday, November 5th at 2:00 PM in the ECHS auditorium. This Mass will also be livestreamed on our East Catholic YouTube Channel.

Kindly let us know by Friday, October 27th if you will be able to join us in-person, or if you have any questions regarding the Mass, by contacting the Director of Advancement, Julie Scalora at (860) 649-5336 ext. 6234 or email scaloraj@echs.com.

Light refreshments will be served directly following the Mass. It is our hope that you and your family will join us, either in-person or remotely, for this liturgy in remembrance of your loved one. We look forward to joining with you and your family in fellowship as we remember those who have meant so much to us.