East Catholic High School's Newsletter |
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A Message from the President
To the East Catholic Family,
It feels as if we are hitting a good stride as we begin to enter the fall season. Classes are in full swing, sports teams are practicing and playing, Stage East is rehearsing, and the Eagle spirit can be felt in the air.
It was great to have parents on campus for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 8th! We always look forward to connecting with the parents & guardians of our students. We hope you all had a great time meeting your students' advisors and teachers. We all look forward to bringing out the best in your students this school year.
On Friday, September 9th we had a wonderful Convocation program. The word means “calling together” and is a common way for schools, colleges, and universities to begin the school year. It has become a tradition at East Catholic that we enjoy sharing with our students to start the school year off strong. We began the day with an All-School Mass, with our chaplain, Father Jaime Maldonado-Avilés, as celebrant. Following Mass, we re-instilled our theme of the year: GRIT. We heard from Mr. Urbanski and Jade Colon '23, who both shared their personal experiences with overcoming challenges and how they were able to persevere through dedication and a positive mindset. Students then broke into groups with their advisor to discuss our summer read, This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women." We then ended the day with the whole school together in the Auditorium to recap the day's events. The day went extremely well and I am continuously proud of our community's ability to support one another.
On Tuesday, September 13th our Freshmen class gathered together at St. Bartholomew Church in Manchester to celebrate their Freshmen Retreat. Each year, our classes have the opportunity to gather together as one grade to get to know each other better and grow together in their faith. We always enjoy having the Freshmen Retreat early in the school year, as this is a great opportunity for them to get to know their new classmates outside of the classroom. Our phenomenal team of Peer Ministers led the day, which included both discussion and reflection. It was Mrs. Seaver's first retreat as the new Director of Campus Ministry, and she certainly shined in her new role!
We have officially kicked off our annual Walk-A-Thon here at East. This is our largest student-led fundraiser throughout the year. Last year, we raised over $60,000, which went towards our Integrated Technology Center and tuition assistance. The Walk-A-Thon event will be held on campus on Friday, October 14th as part of our Homecoming Week celebration. Each student is encouraged to participate and help us reach our goal! Students were sent home with their Walk-A-Thon packet on Thursday. We will be discussing the event more in depth during Advisory on Monday, and students and families will receive an email from our Advancement team on Monday recapping all of the information, so keep an eye out!
Fall sports are underway and it is always great to see our teams don the Blue & White. We have had great attendance at all of our games, and it is wonderful to see familiar faces in the crowd. We have our home opener for football tonight at the Cheney Tech field, so come out and show your support at 6:30PM! It will be a "Caroline Blue Out" for our fan section.
Our Stage East has also been hard at work preparing for their upcoming production of "Clue." This will be such a fun play for both our actors and our fans to watch. Make sure to save the date for October 28th & 29th to come check it out!
We are excited to see applications already rolling in for prospective students for the 2023-2024 school year! On Thursday, October 6th we will be hosting our annual Fall Open House. Help us in spreading the word and making this a great event. Also, make sure to listen on your radio and keep an eye out on your TVs for our new East Catholic commercial that begins airing today!
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan ’85 - President
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Convocation/One Book One Community |
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On Friday, the entire East Catholic community came together for our annual Convocation. We began the day with our first all-school Mass of the year, which was celebrated by our chaplain, Fr. Jaime Maldonado-Avilés.
Every student and faculty member this summer read “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women.” This collection of essays inspired our theme for the school year - Grit. With our students this year, we will be focusing on the ability to persevere even when obstacles are placed in front of us. Thank you especially to Mr. John Urbanski and Jade Colon ‘23 for sharing their personal and inspiring stories with our community.
Through small group activities and discussions, students were able to share which “This I Believe” essays resonated with them and their own stories of how they have exemplified grit in their life. Each student and faculty member this year will be writing their own “This I Believe” essay as a way to bring us together as a school and share our experiences with one another.
Throughout the year we will continue to revisit this theme through assemblies and classroom discussion. Our year long themes are meant to mold the strong character of our students, instilling in them ideals that they will hold on to long after they’ve left the Hill.
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Student Spotlight - Meghan Raykoff '23 |
We are proud to announce that Meghan Raykoff ‘23 has been named a National Merit Semi-Finalist! This is an honor less than 1% of the nation’s graduating high school seniors receives. The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes individuals for their exceptional scholastic potential. Meghan is pictured here with Mrs. Cathy Luker, her school counselor, who will be helping her throughout the process of moving on to the Finalist stage. Meghan most enjoys studying Biology in the classroom, and is also a member of our swim team here at East. Congratulations Meghan! |
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Any schedule changes must be made by Monday, September 19th (last day of the 8 day cycle). This includes first and second semester classes. Please see your counselor before the end of the school day on Monday.
The Counseling Dept. will be offering college information sessions for parents of current seniors in the large conference room on the following dates.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 22 - 12:00-1:00PM
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28- 2:15-3:15PM
Please choose one date that works for you and RSVP to lukerc@echs.com
REMINDER: Transcript requests are due to the Counseling Office 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINE. STUDENTS NEED TO APPLY FIRST BEFORE REQUESTING A TRANSCRIPT
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Upcoming College Visits in September
Tuesday, Sept. 20th - Merrimack College & Western Connecticut State University
Wednesday, Sept. 21st - Johnson & Wales University & University of New England
Thursday, Sept. 22nd - American International College & Roger Williams University
Friday, Sept. 23rd - Central CT State University & University of New Hampshire
Monday, Sept. 26th - Marist College & Saint Joseph's University (PA)
Tuesday, Sept. 27th - Bryant University & Sacred Heart University
Wednesday, Sept. 28th - Salve Regina University & University of Hartford
Thursday, Sept. 29th - High Point University & Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Friday, Sept. 30th - University of Maine at Farmington & University of Rhode Island
The full list of visits throughout September, October, and November can be found on Naviance.
Seniors are allowed to attend if they have a free period or if the teacher gives prior approval. Juniors and sophomores may attend if they have a free last period or at 2:00PM.
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Tuesday, September 20th was our Freshmen Retreat, where our Class of 2026 gathered together to share in a special East Catholic tradition.
This retreat allows our students to take time out the classroom to get to know each other better and reflect on their goals as they begin their high school journey. They had a beautiful Mass at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manchester. They also listened to several Witness Talks from our Peer Ministers, and reflected in small group discussions. Each freshman also received a "Big Eagle" who will help mentor them with any questions during their school year.
Thank you to our wonderful team of Peer Ministers for leading thoughtful group discussions and sharing their experiences with our new students. We hope our Freshmen enjoyed this time to make memories as a class!
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Upcoming Service Opportunities:
We have a couple of opportunities for anyone looking to pick up some service hours:
Wednesday, Sept. 21st: We will be preparing a meal together here in the cafeteria at 4:30PM and then heading to ImmaCare shelter in Hartford to serve the meal. No need to bring anything but a positive attitude. Transportation will be provided.
Friday, Oct. 7th: There is an opportunity to help set up and serve a dinner here in Manchester at 5:30PM.
Please stop by the Campus Ministry Room, or Classroom 202 to see Mrs. Seaver and get more details. Spaces are very limited so don’t wait.
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Our Fall sports teams have begun competition and it has been so great to see them in action!
Check out the upcoming dates below and come support your fellow Eagles!
Friday, Sept. 16th:
V/JV Girls Soccer vs. East Hartford (3:45PM)
V/JV Boys Soccer @ Avon (3:45PM)
Fr/JV/V Girls Volleyball @ Manchester (4:30/5:30PM)
V Football vs. Hartford Public (6:30) - For $1 each, buy a ticket for a chance to compete in the halftime field goal competition for an Emerald City Smoothie gift card! If you cannot make the game, tune in to WJMJ Radio on 88.9 to hear a broadcast of the game!
$5 admission for adults, $3 admission for EC alumni, free for EC students with student ID, senior citizens, veterans, and children 12 & under
For information on times and more dates, please visit the CIAC schedule website here.
Our Family Sports passes are now available for purchase! The Family Sports pass allows free entry to all home sporting events that charge admission throughout the 2022-2023 school year. You can purchase the Sports Pass at the entry table for all home football games or by emailing dahlquistj@echs.com
$60 – Family Sports Pass
$70 – Family Pass w/ T Shirt
$80 – Family Pass w/ T Shirt & Rally Towel
FamilyID Reminder:
You all should have received an email to sign up for FamilyID. FamilyID is a secure registration platform that provides an easy, user-friendly way to collect forms for all of our students. Athletics will be requiring that all students upload their physical forms through Family ID. Please visit this link to register for an account if you have not already done so. If you have any questions, please email dahlquistj@echs.com.
Visit our online Spirit Shop here to purchase East Catholic Athletics merchandise!
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Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 school year! We are excited that prospective students have already begun the process.
We are looking forward to hosting an in-person Open House on Thursday, October 6th at 6:30PM. If you know of anyone interested, direct them to sign up here!
We will also be offering our entrance exam on Saturday, October 22nd and Saturday, November 5th. The entrance exam begins at 8:30AM. All students, both incoming freshmen and transfers, are required to take the entrance exam. Sign ups can be found here!
We have been busy providing tours to prospective families interested in attending East in the future. We are excited to host the 8th graders from St. James School and St. Bridget School for an upcoming "Eagle for a Day" experience. Any prospective 8th grader or transfer student is welcome to join us for their own "Eagle for a Day" shadow visit this fall. Students are paired with a current student and see what a day in the life of an East Catholic Eagle is like. We have plenty of dates open for this opportunity, so please share the registration form here!
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Advancement Office Updates |
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WalkEast 2022 - East Catholic's Annual Fall Fundraising and Spirit Event!
This year we are excited to host our student-led WalkEast event on Friday, October 14th. In Advisory on Thursday, September 15th students received their WalkEast packet. On Wednesday, September 21st, students that bring in 4+ of the completed mailers will receive a dress down day on Friday, September 23rd. The mailers brought in over $30,000 last year, so they are a big part of fundraising for this event! On Monday, students will be shown a PowerPoint presentation in Advisory explaining the events and the student fundraising goals. Students and families will also receive an email on Monday recapping the presentation. The money from last year's successful event allowed us to break ground on our Integrated Technology Center. Please help us in making this year even better!
Please consider providing prizes for our student participants or sponsoring the event with a custom tee-sign! We gratefully accept donations of gift cards, teen-appropriate merchandise and items, as well as sponsorships from families and friends. More information about the event forthcoming in the next newsletter!
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Neighborhood Assistance Act |
If the Company you work for files taxes in the State of CT, you may be interested to learn that East Catholic High School has been approved for participation in the 2022 Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA) Tax Credit Program through the State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. This program allows for certain CT businesses to receive a tax credit for funding approved municipal or non-profit projects. East Catholic’s project is the replacement of the Auditorium Roof, making it watertight and energy efficient.
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Support East Catholic While You Shop! |
Shop on Amazon and Support East Catholic!
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchase to East Catholic. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. Support East Catholic by shopping at smile.amazon.com and search for East Catholic.
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Support East Catholic at ShopRite
ShopRite stores that participate in the ShopRite for Education program are committed to making a difference for the communities that their customers call home. Through this program, participating store owners provide free educational equipment and supplies to local accredited non-profit public and private schools, kindergarten through high school.
Supporting East Catholic is simple! Just link your Price Plus® Card to East Catholic's code, 18411, and each time you shop, the school will earn points towards free educational equipment and supplies. You can enroll your card by visiting www.shopriteforeducation.com.
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Upcoming Events and Dates to Remember |
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Monday, September 19th
1:00PM Dismissal
Wednesday, September 21st
Mailers Turn-In Date for Walk-a-thon
Thursday, September 22nd
College Information Session for Parents - 12:00-1:00PM
Wednesday, September 28th
First Donation Turn-In Date for Walk-a-thon
College Information Session for Parents - 2:15-3:15PM
Thursday, October 6th
Fall Open House - 6:30PM
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East Catholic High School | 115 New State Road, Manchester, CT 06042
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