A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

The past couple of weeks have been all about the Class of 2025. As you will see below, they have been celebrated, feted, and soaked by rain, but we could not be happier to send them off as well as we could. Our Summa Award recipients had their ceremony at the University of Saint Joseph, and our four recipients were recognized with the teachers the winners identified as the most influential in their high school years. It is a unique ceremony in that the students speak about their teachers, thanking them for all the care and wisdom that they provided.

Last week, we began on Monday with our Senior Farewell ceremony, followed by graduation rehearsal. On Tuesday night, the seniors had a Project Graduation senior party at Pinebrook Swim & Tennis Club. On Wednesday we celebrated our Baccalaureate Mass with Archbishop Coyne, and on Thursday evening, the Class of 2025 had graduation exercises at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. It was a wonderful evening (other than the weather)! We wish all members of the Class of 2025 health, happiness, and success!

For the three classes that remain behind, things are wrapping up quite quickly. We had our last day of classes yesterday and move into our final exam review and exams from May 30th to June 6th. Best of luck to everyone on finishing up the year well.

As we look to the 2025-2026 school year, I wanted to share next year’s theme with you. We are spotlighting the word ACCOUNTABILITY as the theme. The theme spans myriad areas from doing your homework, to fulfilling service hours, from being kind and welcoming to others, to meeting team objectives. All of us can learn to be more accountable in all we do.

The One Book, One Community summer reading book is titled Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. Published in 2014, the New York Times Bestseller and 100 Notable Books of 2014 chronicles the story of Bryan Stevenson, “a gifted young attorney [who] founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system.” We look forward to focusing on the theme and reading this impactful book!

There will be one more News from the Hill in two weeks, but I hope you all finish off the year well and get ready to enjoy summer!

Peace,

Sean P. Brennan ‘85

Chief Administrator

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Congratulations, Class of 2025!

National Honor Society

Members of the National Honor Society stopped by Julie House on May 8th to spend some time with the Sisters of Notre Dame and try their luck at a few rounds of Bingo!

AP Biology

Last week, the AP Biology students participated in a bacterial transformation lab called pGLO. Over the course of 3 days, students were able to transform bacteria with a gene that codes for green fluorescent protein from a bioluminescent jellyfish. When the bacteria acquires the gene and produces the protein, it will glow a brilliant green under UV light. This lab helped to demonstrate a central dogma in biology they learned throughout the year.

Summa Scholar Ceremony

On May 12th, the Summa Awards were held at the University of Saint Joseph. This is a special ceremony where students are honored for their hard work academically, and each student selects a teacher to recognize who has been deeply influential in their lives and education. Students shared heartfelt essays about the impact these educators have made. What a beautiful way to recognize the power of teaching!

New Microscopes!

Thank you to all who supported and contributed to our Annual Spring Auction! This year‘s auction was particularly successful. In addition to raising funds for the school, tuition assistance, and other needs, we were able to raise enough to purchase 48 new microscopes for our science labs. Our science department is very appreciative, as the students will get to utilize these updated tools in their labs!

UConn Health Career Opportunities

We're incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of two outstanding seniors, Alec-Raive Gordon and Marko Paxi, who dedicated their time to the UConn Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP)! This fantastic program opens doors for students to explore healthcare careers through shadowing experiences with doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, connects them with mentors, and offers guidance on college admissions.

Alec's journey with HCOP began the summer before his sophomore year, fueled by his long-standing interest in healthcare and involvement in East Catholic's ClubMed. His hard work has paid off, as he'll be attending UConn on the prestigious Aetna HPPI Scholarship! Congratulations, Alec!

Marko also joined HCOP early, starting the summer before his freshman year. His passion for healthcare is evident through his role as Co-Vice President of ClubMed. He will be attending Quinnipiac University in the fall.

Discover the amazing opportunities offered by the UConn HCOP Program: https://health.uconn.edu/hcop/

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Peer Ministers!

Seniors: Alex Musiitwa, Anna Button, Ava Smith, Callum Smith, Caroline Cavanaugh, Carson Bedard, Catherine Carmon, Elizabeth Carmon, Kamden Bevans, Lennox Carter, Lucy DeCorleto, Raymond Martin, Matthew Martello, Meghan St. Hilaire, Sophia Zimmerman, Tara Button

Juniors: Ben Tetreault, Carlyna Albano, Cora Tierney, Conner Conneely, Conrad Yakimishan, Julian Prytko, Kaitlyn Duran, Kalli Bevans, Kathleen Palmer, Kathy Dinh, Madilyn Skehan, Marco Fortuna, Nicholas Persaud, Riley Larkin, Rocco Reilly, Valerie Yakimishan

Baccalaureate Mass

The Class of 2025 united for their Baccalaureate, celebrating Mass together one last time. Archbishop Christopher Coyne celebrated the Mass at St. Margaret Mary Church in South Windsor with Father Matt Collins as concelebrant. Thank you to family and friends, near and far, who held them in prayer.

Spring Sports

Thanks to all our spring captains for their efforts and leadership! 

·         Boys Golf – Charlie Hathaway & Ryan Farley

·         Girls Golf – Anya Avis & Megan Emerson

·         Outdoor Track – Maya Fisher, Braeden Knotts, Igor Rutkauski

·         Boys Lacrosse – Colten Yates, Mason Taylor, Alex Thiele

·         Girls Lacrosse – Molly Caron, Nicole Semple, Nadine Abunasra, Caroline Cavanaugh

·         Boys Tennis – Christian Tjagvad

·         Girls Tennis – Sarah Siolkowski, Melanie Plausse, Sophia Simonetti

·         Baseball – Ryan Curry & Matt Martello

·         Softball – Ciara Flaherty & Hannah Poulin

All teams have qualified for the state tournament and competition for 2025! Congrats!

Athletes on the Run!

PRESENTING: Our senior athletes with commitments to continue play at the collegiate level! We are so proud of this group and can’t wait to follow their success!

•Nadine Abunasra - University of Saint Joseph - Lacrosse

•Molly Caron - University of Hartford - Lacrosse

•Andrew DeLaura, Jr. - Salve Regina University - Football

•Dejahlee Dogans - Albertus Magnus College - Basketball

•Maya Fisher - Southern Connecticut State University - Cross Country & Track

•Kailani Galan - John Jay College - Basketball

•Sarah Gionfriddo - Salem State University - Ice Hockey & Field Hockey

•Trevor Kincheloe - Western New England University - Football

•Braeden Knotts - Moravian University - Cross Country & Track

•Liz McGuirl - Salve Regina University - Basketball

•Christian Morales - University of New Haven - Baseball

•Olivia Murrihy - St. Michael’s College - Lacrosse

•Avery Prewo - Babson College - Soccer

•Sophia Roy - University of Saint Joseph - Soccer

•Troy Soteriou - Salve Regina University - Football

•Prisha Thomas - Air Force Academy - Rifle

•Grace Veltri - Salve Regina University - Soccer

•Ciara Flaherty - St. Michael’s College - Softball

•Mason Taylor - Hartwick College - Lacrosse

•Alex Thiele - Eastern Connecticut State University - Lacrosse

•Colten Yates - Rutgers University - Lacrosse

Boys Golf

Freshman Henry Barry and Sophomore Charlie Hathaway shot a 3 under par 67 to finish 2nd in the CT Two-Man Championship at Keney Park. Bristol Central won with a 65 in an event that featured 40 teams. Congratulations, boys!

Class of 2025

Congratulations! We hope you are enjoying your post graduation celebrations. Transcripts will go directly to the college/university that you listed on Naviance when you set your attending school. If anything changes, please let us know. 

We sent out a link asking for some information on merit and scholarship money. Please take a moment to fill out this very short google document if you have not already: Scholarship and Merit Money.

Class of 2026

You are all underway with your college search! You received an email with steps to take over the summer in order to be ready to complete the application process when you return in the fall.

Please make sure you have asked your two teachers for letters of recommendation, look through your junior folder (blue), and watch your emails. 

Underclassmen

As we finish up the year, remember to stay consistent and give it all you have. Your teachers are available to help you finish out Quarter 4 and prepare for the exams. No matter what your average is, it is always a good idea to check in with your teachers. 

We hope everyone has a wonderful, restorative summer!!

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 put together another wonderful event for our seniors! The Class of 2025 had their Project Graduation at Pinebrook Swim & Tennis Club in Glastonbury on Tuesday, May 20th. It was a perfect way to hang together with some good food and great prizes before they head off to their adventures next year! They enjoyed pizza from Giovanni's and ice cream from Blue Chip Creamery, as well as lots of college-ready take-homes!

Thank you to the Project Graduation Committee, families and friends, sponsors, and local businesses that make this completely free-of-charge event happen for our seniors.

Project Graduation Supporters!

Thank you to the following businesses and people who contributed to the success that was our Project Grad:

Simoniz USA 

Elmo's Dockside

Manchester Mayors Fund

Lynch Motors

Manchester Elks Lodge No 1893

Kelman Landscape LLC 

Edward Balskus

Global Driving School LLC

Mike Esposito - State Farm Insurance

Suzanne Bonanno & Family

Ambulance Service of Manchester

Cavanaugh Family

Highland Park Families Foundation

Neil Caron - ReadySetLoan

ShopRite in Manchester

David Machewirth, Ph.D. - DPM Photonics, LLC

East Catholic Parent Association 

Bob's Discount Furniture

Keri + Sarah Team at William Raveis 

Ray Kimball - Anderson Meyer Insurance

& a big THANK YOU to all of our parent volunteers and all the families that supported Project Grad throughout the year at the various fundraising events! 

Your generosity is 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.