A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

It is hard to believe that we are already welcoming in the month of March to this school year. I hope everyone had a good week off and is returning recharged and ready to go as we head towards Easter. During this Lenten season we focus many of our prayers and Masses on growing closer to God. Since we moved our weekly Mass from 7:00 AM on Tuesdays to 10:45 on Thursdays, we have seen a significant uptick in attendees. Thank you Fr. Jaime and the Campus Ministry office for making that happen.



We have a number of winter teams and individual winter athletes still competing in Conference or State postseason play. See the athletic section below and come out to support!

Performance Week is upon us as Stage East puts the final touches on their upcoming musical, High Spirits. Please join us for one of the performances on March 8th or 9th. The cast and crew have been working very hard, and we would love to have a great turnout to support.

Every two or three years, we induct a new class into the East Catholic Hall of Fame. To be inducted, a person needs to be nominated to the selection committee. The committee then reviews all nominees and select the most worthy. Categories for the HOF are Alumni, Athlete, Faculty/Staff, and Friend/Legacy Family. The following are being inducted on Sunday, March 3rd:

Alumni:                      Bruce Belfiore, '72

                                  Christine Gagnon, '83

                                  Col. David Lamy, '86

                                  James “Skip” Thomas, '65

Athlete:                      Mike Byam, '83

                                  Ken Brasa, '79

                                  Shamika Jackson, '04

                                  Kara Kochanek '08

Faculty/Staff:             Adrienne Andrews

                                  Father Charles E. Shaw

Friend:                       Charlie Crocini

Legacy Family:          The Andreo Family

Also Honoring the 1987 ECHS Football team.



There is always a lot happening on the Hill!

Peace and blessings,

Sean P. Brennan '85

Chief Administrator

Follow Us!

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

Guest Speakers

During February’s monthly assembly, we had a special guest! Mr. Akbar Coffy, a Program Model Manager at Pratt & Whitney, shared his background with the students and what led him to achieving the John Lewis Rising Leaders Award in 2023.

Mr. Coffy created a program called Project RED (Racially Equitable Discussions) after attending a symposium with senior leaders at Pratt & Whitney. He realized that he wanted to extend the work of the symposium by finding an intimate way to raise the empathy of everyone he was working with. He wanted a space to better communicate to gain the perspectives of others.



Project RED is centered around empathy and understanding each other’s perspectives. Mr. Coffy encouraged students to be agents of change in their own communities, to grow in authenticity through empathy, and to always enter a space with open hearts and open ears, appreciative of what everyone brings to the group.

At the end of the presentation a student asked what the biggest impact Project RED has had on Mr. Coffy’s life. He shared that through this project he has realized that we are not alone in our communities, even if we do not have similar obvious affinity groups.

The best advice he can give everyone for where to start in their own lives? “Just be there. Be attentive, respectful, and come with open ears. Your best ability is availability.”

Thank you to Mr. Akbar Coffy for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with us and chat with some students who had further questions after the talk. Thank you, also, to Mr. Link and the Student Government for arranging his visit with us!

Prom Collection

Thank you to all those who have dropped off donations so far!

The Class of 2025 has extended their prom collection one more week to support The Cornerstone Ministries in Rockville. Clean out your closets this weekend and drop off your formal dresses, suits, and other prom accessories at East through Friday, March 8th!

All items donated items will be available at The Cornerstone's Prom Boutique where students can shop for free.

Any questions? Contact Junior Class Advisor, Sarah Poirier, at poiriers@echs.com.

High Spirits!

Stage East's Spring Musical 2024 is High Spirits. The cast and crew are working hard on preparing this production for your enjoyment!

Performances will take place on Friday, March 8th at 7:00pm and Saturday, March 9th at 1:00pm and 7:00pm.

We look forward to seeing you in the audience!

Click here to purchase tickets: East Catholic High School (fevo-enterprise.com)

Winter Playoffs

Come out to cheer on your fellow, Eagles!

Saturday, March 2nd: Girls Hockey vs. New Canaan at The Rinks at Shelton at 7:30pm

Monday, March 4th: Girls Basketball State Quarterfinals vs. Canton at East at 7:00pm

Wednesday, March 6th: Boys Diving Class S Championship at 5:30pm

Thursday, March 7th: Boys Basketball 2nd Round State Tournament vs. Staples at East at 6:30pm

Friday, March 8th: Boys Swimming @ Class S Qualifying Meet

South Catholic High School

On Friday, February 16th, East Catholic honored the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Championship Basketball Team from South Catholic High School. Five members of the team were able to join us in-person that evening, as we read off the names of all of their teammates, to a standing ovation from the crowd! The guests of honor were greeted at center court by Coach Luke Reilly, whose father was their coach at South Catholic. Thank you to all who were able to join us in commemorating their winning legacy!

Senior Nights

Over the past few weeks, we have honored our seniors in their winter sports. Congratulations on your athletic achievements! We wish you all the best in your future plans beyond East!

Spring Sports

We are now offering the convenience of online registration through FamilyID. FamilyID is a secure registration platform that provides you with an easy, user-friendly way to register for our programs, and helps us to be more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible.

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

Scheduling for Next Year

In-house scheduling will begin next week. Please talk with your teachers about any specific course or leveling questions. Be sure to discuss overall course-load and graduation requirements with your school counselor. It may seem early, but this is the most important time for you to be mindful of your choices while you plan for next year, the remainder of high school, and beyond.

Junior Update

Juniors will be taking the SATs during the school day on March 26th. All students have been registered and should be preparing. Some juniors have enrolled in a SAT prep class, while others have used the Blue Book App (what we used for PSATs) or Khan Academy. Find the best practice for yourself and take some time each week to prepare. 

Here is a link to an SAT Prep course, if you are interested: Lentz & Lentz PSAT & SAT Review (echs.com)

Senior Updates

Colleges continue to roll out admissions decisions. Be sure you are checking your email regularly! After receiving news from your colleges, please update Naviance immediately. If you want to talk over any admissions decision or about making your final college choice, reach out to your school counselor. 

2023 Light of Christ Teacher Recognition Award

An ENORMOUS congratulations to Mr. John Urbanski, affectionately known to students and staff over the years as “UrbJ,” on being selected as one of ten teachers to receive the 2023 Light of Christ Teacher Recognition Award! This award is presented by the Archdiocese of Hartford and honors outstanding performance among the educators in the Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Schools.

UrbJ was nominated by colleagues because he is a teacher who serves as a role model for students, a witness to Jesus, a dedicated educator, and a responsible citizen whose life is guided by Catholic principles. It is clear that he consistently demonstrates excellence in teaching and learning, while seeking to improve the school community and culture in positive ways. As an awardee of the Light of Christ Award, UrbJ practices a commitment to “Teach as Jesus Did,” exhibits innovation, collaboration and enthusiasm in the classroom, and embraces each student as a child of God, enabling each one to reach their full potential.

To all of us at East, UrbJ is the living model of “Love All, Serve All” and we cannot be more grateful to have him as an integral part of our East Catholic community. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, UrbJ!

Hallow App

We are delighted to extend a special offer to you on behalf of East Catholic. As a token of appreciation for your continued support and dedication to your child's education and spiritual growth, we are excited to offer you a complimentary 90-day free trial of Hallow, a Catholic meditation and prayer app.

Hallow is an exceptional resource that provides a wealth of audio-guided Bible stories, prayers, meditations, sleep aids, and Christian music, all designed to support and enhance your spiritual journey. Whether you're seeking moments of reflection, guidance in prayer, or simply a peaceful night's sleep, Hallow offers a variety of features tailored to meet your needs.

With this complimentary trial, you'll have unrestricted access to Hallow's extensive library of content, allowing you to explore and experience its benefits firsthand. We believe that integrating Hallow into your daily routine can foster a deeper connection with your faith and Lent is a wonderful time to begin! 

Through their school email, your student has received access to a premium subscription as well. We hope that together, as a family, you can explore and create prayerful moments and experiences at home! Follow the directions below to take advantage of this trial:

• Start here: https://hallow.com/portal/#/redeem
• Enter your school’s parent promo code: EastCatholicCTparents24
• Click “Continue with Email” or “Continue with Google” (if you have a Gmail address)
• SKIP phone number; Click “Use Email Instead”
• Enter your email address/ password (Google users should be able to skip this step for a single sign-on)
• Follow remaining prompts
• Begin praying with Hallow! 

See the attached document for more information: ECHS Instructions-Parent 90-day Free Trial - Google Docs

Shelter Meals

On February 27th, students prepared and served meals for the guests at ImmaCare.

The next Shelter Meal will be held on Monday, March 4th at South Park Inn. If you are interested in being a part of this service, please see Campus Ministry to sign up.

Service Hours

Remember that all students are required to complete 10 hours of community service by the Spring. The holidays are a great time to get in your hours, as many organizations could use extra hands to assist in their undertakings for the community.

Although it is the student's own responsibility to search out places to volunteer, Campus Ministry does have some opportunities that are offered right here through our school, as well as a few volunteer activities with local organizations that are happening on a weekly basis. If you are in need of assistance finding an organization to partner with for your hours, please stop by Campus Ministry and they can help get you signed up!

Spring Fling Fundraiser

The committee for East Catholic's Spring Fling Fundraiser has been hard at work. The event will be held at The Hartford Club on Saturday, April 20th from 6:00pm-10:00pm. This year's theme is "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We're looking forward to having you join us! For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit the Spring Fling site: 2024 Spring Fling "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (auctria.com)

Paint Party

See the flyer below for more information. Then, visit this link to register: https://ourfundraiser.events/PaintParty

Next Meeting

Our next Parents' Association Meeting will be on Monday, March 11th in the first-floor conference room at 6:00PM. All are welcome!

For more information on upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, visit

East Catholic High School - Parents Association (echs.com)



Any questions? Email echsPA@echs.com.

Rainbow Graphics has Spirit Wear available this month, in addition to their uniform items (sweaters, quarter zips, and senior vests). Orders can be placed March 1-15 and will be delivered at the end of the month. Click on the link to access their online store: Home | East Catholic (inksoft.com)

The 2023-2024 School Calendar has been posted to the ECHS website and portal.