East Catholic High School's Newsletter

A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

It is hard to believe that it is November 1^st! 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, 11/1 at 2:00. On Monday, 11/4 Girls’ Volleyball will travel to Immaculate for a 6:00 match in the Class S tournament. Girls’ Swimming will have Class S qualifiers on 11/9. Football (5-1) continues their season on Friday 11/1 at Rocky first-round are home at Cheney Tech vs. Lewis Mills next Thursday 11/7. 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 11/11. 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

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

Veterans Day 2024

On Monday, November 11th, East Catholic will have a half day of school to host an event honoring those who have served. If you or a family member have served or are currently serving in our armed forces, please join us on Veterans Day for breakfast and a special program in your honor.

To plan for our attendees, please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Uv5WWpt5sz8ufxX39

If you have any questions, reach out to Adrienne Andrews (adrienneandrews@echs.com) or Kathy O'Neill Reilly (kathleenreilly@echs.com).

Note: We are also collecting candy to be sent to soldiers oversees. If you have any candy to donate, please bring it to the office next week!

Model UN

Our Model UN took a trip to NYC where the World Affairs Council had arranged for our students to meet with the Italy Mission!

9/11 Memorial and Museum

On Monday, October 28th, Mr. Link took a group of about 45 students to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. What a moving experience as students walked through the museum, chronicling the construction of The Towers, their fall, and the aftereffects of that day.

We were blessed to have a special guest with us for the visit. Louise, whose brother was a firefighter in the NYFD, lost her brother when the towers fell that day. She recounted the direct impact that day had on her family, showed us a letter from her sister-in-law that hangs on a beam in the museum, and was able to hear recordings of her parents' voices within one of the exhibits.

Office of Student Life

Reminder about Winter Uniform

The East Catholic handbook can be found on the FACTS Family Portal under "Announcements."

Please see pages 18-20 for information on Dress Code.

Winter uniforms are to be worn now through April Vacation. The Winter dress code consists of pants for young men- no shorts. Polos may still be worn with or without a quarter zip, sweater, or vest.

Shoes: Vans or knockoffs must be solid without laces. No backless shoes

Campus Ministry

Crafting Quilts

Last Thursday, while our sophomores and juniors took the PSATs, our freshmen participated in a special program just for their class! For part of the day, students learned about the Mobilserve platform where they will enter their service hours yearly, and then they had an immediate service opportunity to create quilts for local homeless shelters. We are so excited to have the Eagles of 2028 with us for the next 4 years!

Student Service

Students are required to have 10 hours of service by May 1, 2025 (seniors by April 1, 2025). Freshman will learn how to post and track their hours in the Mobile Serve app during a Campus Ministry session for them on Oct. 17th. Service opportunities are always posted in Campus Ministry.

Junior Class Retreat

The Junior Class enjoyed their class retreat on October 30th at the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford. It was a beautiful day for the students to rotate through three workshops - one on mindfulness while walking a labyrinth, one on social justice and charitable works, and, lastly, a discussion with a panel of seniors who provided tips for navigating their junior year. The weather also allowed for some time with classmates outdoors before heading back to East Catholic.

Advancement Office

Livestream the Memorial Mass here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKdzCWGfML4

Fine Arts

Alice in Wonderland

Stage East put on a fantastic production of Alice in Wonderland last weekend. Bravo to Mrs. Quackenbush and the cast and crew for all your hard work on stage!

Alumni Spotlight

Voting is now open for BroadwayWorld's Next On Stage, Broadway's biggest national competition for high school and college students.

The first round of voting began October 31st and ends at 11:59pm on November 20th. The first results show (announcing the Top 15 finalists in both age categories) will air on Friday, November 22nd.

For each round, contestants will be voted on by the general public and then judged by our returning, all-star panel of judges.

Kendra Obrycki, Class of 2023, is a college nominee, currently a member of the Class of 2027 at Salve Regina.

Vote for Kendra here: Kendra Obrycki - Journey to the Past BroadwayWorld's Next on Stage

Athletics

EC XC

Braeden Knotts represented East Catholic well with a third-place finish (out of 147) at the Class SS XC meet last Saturday. His time qualified him for the State Open on Halloween, where he finished 58th with a time of 17:02. Great work, Braeden!

Run with Braeden, his family, and some of his teammates on Sunday, November 3rd at Standish Park in Wethersfield for Jamie's Run 5K for Connecticut Children's Cancer Research (jamiesrun.org). The 5K Walk and Run begins at 9:00am and the Kids K at 10:00am.

This will be the 15th and final Jamie's Run, an event organized by the Knotts family in memory of Braeden's sister, Jamie. This run has become a way to inspire people to action and raise money for the cancer programs at Connecticut Children's. Over the past 14 years, $600,000 has been raised in Jamie's memory.

Read more of their story here: About Us | jamiesruninc

Girls Swimming

Girls swimming came in 2nd at CCCs on Wednesday, October 30th.

Way to represent East, ladies!

Fall Tournaments

Girls soccer hosts the first round of the Class L tournament against Cheshire on Friday, November 1st at 2:00pm in the lower field.

Volleyball is on the road Monday, November 4th at Immaculate High School for the first round of the Class S tournament.

Hockey Meetings

There will be a mandatory meeting for all players and parents/guardians of all returning players and new students interested in playing for the girls' ice hockey coop team this winter.

The girls hockey meeting will be held Wednesday evening, November 6th, at 6:30 p.m. at East Catholic High School in the cafeteria.

Boys hockey will meet on Tuesday, November 5th at 2:00pm in Room 115.

Winter Sports

With the winter sports season ahead, please be sure you have registered your athlete with Family ID.

To register, a parent or guardian will use this link.

For those that have used FamilyID before, use this embedded link to register an EXISTING user.

If you need additional assistance with registration, contact FamilyID at support@familyid.com or 800-311-4060 x3. Support is available Monday-Friday.

1961 Bleachers to 2024 Adirondack Chairs

Alumnus Chris Malone '78 and his crew at Opportunity Works Connecticut, Inc. (www.owct.org) have designed and built a set of Adirondack chairs from the 1961 mahogany for you to enjoy on your porch or deck. While priceless in history, we are raffling off the chance to own this pair for $25 a ticket.

Home | Adirondack Chairs (square.site)

School Counseling

PSAT Scores

PSAT scores for the Juniors and Sophomores are set to be out Nov. 7th according to College Board. You can check your College Board account online to see your score once it has posted. School Counselors are happy to review scores with anyone who has questions.

One Quarter Down, Three to Go!

Hard to believe we have finished out a quarter of the year already. As we have a fresh start with quarter two, it is a great time to reflect on how the year has started out. Do you want to set some new goals? Do you want to adjust your study techniques? Should you be meeting with your teacher more? School counselors are available if you would like to make an appointment to talk about academic and personal goals.

Admission Office

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

*Entrance Exams:

Saturday, November 9th at 8:30 am

Saturday, December 14th at 8:30 am

*The October, November, and December exams are the only exams where prospective students are considered for 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.

Student Ambassadors

Our amazing ambassadors were up and at ‘em on a Saturday morning, greeting prospective students for the Class of 2029 as they came for the first Entrance Exam! Thank you for being such welcoming faces for our school!

Parents' Association

Welcome Back!

We will be having our first Parents' Association Meeting on Tuesday, November 12th at 6:00pm in the first-floor conference room. We can't wait to see some new faces, as well as our returners. 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 2024-2025 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.