eTC Newsletter for December 5, 2025

December 5, 2025

5 Days of Christmas Starts Next Week!

We are excited to celebrate the Five Days of Christmas next week! The week will be filled with festive dress-down days, activities, and treats made possible through your generosity and support of the Crusader Parents Club. We are excited to celebrate the Christmas season together as a school community before the students begin their exam week!

TC Fine Arts Hosts Winter Theatre Showcase

On Monday, the Fine Arts department hosted the Winter Theatre Showcase at the Kevin Knox II Fieldhouse. This event, held each semester, provides an opportunity for our Theatre 1 students to share what they have learned with our school community. This semester's show also includes performances by our school theatre troupe and our honors level Theatre classes, as well as surprise performances by faculty/staff members. At the end of the evening, our panel of celebrity judges declared a winner - the performance of "Mamma Mia" by students from the period A class! Thank you to all who were able to attend, and thank you for your continued support of the arts at Tampa Catholic!

Mrs. Lisa Varn '00, Director of Fine Arts

Mrs. Joyce Mayhew, Theatre Teacher and Director of Theatre TC

Reminders & Announcements

Annual Toy Drive

Our 6th annual Blanket and Toy Drive is underway to help families of the agricultural communities in Hillsborough and Polk counties.

Please consider donating new toys from ages 1-7 to help spread a little joy this Christmas.

Donations can be dropped off in room 202 from Nov 17-Dec 10.

Another option is to purchase from the amazon wishlist. Be sure to select Tampa Catholic for the delivery address and it will be delivered right to school.

Questions? Contact Mary Ellen Barragan

Beta Club

Gift Wrap Drive

Beta Club is once again partnering with the Children’s Cancer Center to support their Holiday Adoption Program, which is in urgent need of Christmas gift-wrapping supplies.

During our Five Days of Christmas (12/8–12/12), students may drop off donations in Center 115. Beta members will also visit select senior homerooms next Tuesday and Friday during Homeroom to collect items.

Thank you for supporting this act of Advent giving. Take a look at the flyer with suggested items.

Please contact Mark Sszczepkowski with questions.

Join us for Coffee with the School Counselors on Friday, December 12, 2025, from 9:00–10:00 AM in the School Counseling Conference Room. Enjoy a cup of coffee, connect with our counseling team, and help us welcome our new school counselor, Ms. Cheryl Leonhardt, who joined us on December 1. She will be supporting students in grades 9–11 with last names A–G, as well as seniors with last names Q–Z.

Questions? Contact Debbie Fiori

Varsity Boys Basketball Competes in Hawaii

Our Boys Basketball team has been in Honolulu since Tuesday, competing in the Tony Sollitto Invitational Tournament. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue tournament play this weekend and for a safe journey home. Go Crusaders!

Golf Teams Wrap Up an Incredible Season

This week, our Golf program celebrated an outstanding year at the annual end-of-season banquet—one filled with growth, breakthroughs, and milestone moments for both our Girls and Boys teams.

Our Lady Crusaders made tremendous strides this season, showing steady improvement, confidence, and grit. The team posted numerous personal-best rounds and record-setting performances, including memorable come-from-behind wins and a thrilling victory over Calvary Christian at Countryside. They also defeated Bishop McLaughlin for the first time in program history.

For the first time ever, the Girls qualified for Regionals—finishing the year with an impressive 12–4 record and 8th place in Regionals, along with major jumps in District, Regional, and State rankings. Their continued progress points to an incredibly bright future for the program.

The Boys team also delivered a phenomenal season, earning top district rankings for much of the year and achieving multiple personal and team bests. One of the defining achievements of the season: defeating Jesuit three times.

The team closed the year with a strong 13–3–1 record and a competitive performance at Districts, finishing 7th. While they narrowly missed a Regional berth, their determination, consistency, and competitive edge were evident in every match. The foundation is set for an even stronger run next season.

Join us in congratulating both our Girls and Boys teams and Coach Rick Silva '78 on a remarkable year and an exciting future ahead. Go Crusaders!

TC Crew Heads to Sarasota This Weekend

Our TC Crew team will be racing in Sarasota at Nathan Benderson Park on Saturday, December 6! Events run from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and you can follow along for race times and updates on our Instagram.

Come out and cheer on your Crusaders for one of their biggest regattas of the year!

JV Boys Basketball Victory

Congratulations to the Tampa Catholic Crusaders JV Boys Basketball team on winning the 2 Day "2025 Rise Up Basketball Classic" tournament beating Plant High School for the Championship.

Fall Final Exam Information

Please see the document below for the scheduled first-semester exam dates. Attendance at all semester exams is required, so we ask that you keep these dates in mind when making Christmas vacation plans.

Fall Exam Schedule

Grandparents Day – Save the Dates

We are excited to welcome our Crusader grandparents to campus for this year’s Grandparents Day celebrations! Each event will include Mass followed by a special guest speaker and hospitality.

Freshmen & Sophomores: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Juniors & Seniors: Friday, January 30, 2026

We look forward to celebrating this meaningful tradition with our TC families!