East Catholic High School's Newsletter | |
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A Message from the President
Dear East Catholic Family,
As the Fall sports season wraps up and we prepare for the winter season, life remains busy here on the Hill. Most teams have completed their seasons, but our Girls Varsity Soccer team has put together a nice run in the Class L playoffs. After beating Joel Barlow in the first round, 3-0, they knocked off the #1 seed, Berlin, with a resounding 3-0 victory in the second round. They then went on to beat Farmington 1-0 in the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, they played Simsbury at Willowbrook Park and lost 2-1 after going into overtime and penalty kicks. Congratulations on a hard-fought season! The girls swim and dive team wrapped up their season this week with the Class S State Finals on Wednesday, placing 6th overall! The final game of the Fall Season matches our Eagles against Northwest Catholic in a traditional Thanksgiving Day football game at NWC at 10:30 AM.
On Friday, November 10th we celebrated Veterans Day here on campus. This is the second year we have had a Veterans Day program rather than a day off. I could not be prouder of our East Catholic family. We welcomed 24 veterans from various military branches with a pancake breakfast, students did service projects on and off campus, we heard speeches from Ms. Michele Leavitt Weinstein '82, Major Giovanni Tomasi, Jr. '08, and Mr. Ryan Hinton (former principal at East) as our Keynote speaker. You can see more about the program below. Many thanks to Mrs. Kathy Reilly and Mrs. Adrienne Andrews for their leadership in putting the day together. Great job everyone!
Each month the East Catholic Parents Association meets to coordinate volunteer opportunities and to hear from me and other staff about what is going on at East. I encourage any and all parents to join the group if you can. Here are the dates for the remainder of the year:
Monday, January 8 @ 6:00 PM
Monday, February 5 @ 6:00 PM
Monday, March 11 @ 6:00 PM
Tuesday, April 16 @ 6:00 PM
This will be the last News from the Hill before Thanksgiving. As a reminder, we have Monday, November 27th off for achieving our Walk-a-thon fundraising goal. On behalf of the faculty and staff at East Catholic, we wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. We have much to be thankful for, and at the top of the list would be our East Catholic family.
Peace,
Sean P. Brennan '85
Chief Administrator
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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
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Veterans Day Celebrations
On Friday, November 10, East Catholic honored Veterans Day by hosting veterans from the local community for a breakfast and presentation. It was a wonderfully moving day as students were able to partake in recognizing Veterans Day in hands-on ways. "Serving those who have served" was our theme, as some students were able to serve the veteran and their guests a delicious pancake breakfast. Other students went off-campus to put pennies on the graves of soldiers in a local cemetery. Another group made goodie bags of candy for soldiers overseas. Still others made poppies and videos thanking our servicemen and women. After the breakout sessions, we all came together for a presentation on what Veterans Day means and how we can continue to support those who serve our country.
Our keynote speaker was Mr. Ryan Hinton, former principal at East Catholic. Mr. Hinton served the United States Military in the Army for 22 years between active duty and reserve components, with multiple deployments from 2000-2004, most notably to Kosovo and Iraq. To listen to Mr. Hinton's speech, hear the incredible military medley from our choir students, and to see the full Veterans Day presentation, use the link from the livestream here: East Catholic Veterans Day Event - YouTube
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Pie & Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Lyman Orchards Pie and Classic Cookie Dough sales began November 6.
Orders need to be returned by November 20. Delivery date for the pies will be December 11th.
Some items can be delivered directly to your home, whereas others will need to be picked up at the school.
Use this link to sign-up to sell/place orders online: MCM Fundraising • Sign Up
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Textile Recycling
This is the purge before the splurge!
Save your "junk" and give it to us!
The Parents' Association has organized a collection to take clean, re-sellable items off your hands! In partnership with CMRK, there are three designated collection dates for you to drop off the bags you've been driving around in your car for weeks! We will be filling a truck before and after school on November 29, November 30, and December 1 with your textiles to be recycled.
It benefits you, the school, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the environment!
If you are purging your house of items you no longer need before Christmas, be sure to save them for us! See the list below for details.
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Next Meeting
Our next Parent Association Meeting will be on Monday, January 8th 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.
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ECHS at the Wolfpack
East Catholic Choral Ensemble (ECCE) performed the National Anthem at the Hartford Wolfpack game on Saturday, December 11th.
They will perform again on Friday, December 29th for the Harlem Globetrotters' game at the XL Center. Mark your calendar and grab your tickets!
Check out the 2023-2024 Fine Arts Calendar for more on upcoming events.
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Christmas at the North Pole
Stage East is hosting an afternoon of holiday festivities! Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 2 from 10:00AM - 3:00PM in East Catholic's Auditorium.
Ticker prices for the event are $10.00 for one child, $15.00 for two children, and $20.00 for three children or more.
Monies raised from the event support Stage East Theatre and their Spring production, "High Spirits!"
Reach out to Director Jillian Quackenbush at quackenbushj@echs.com if you have any questions!
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The Department of Volunteer Services at Hartford Hospital is offering an exciting volunteer opportunity for students who may be considering a career in healthcare.
They are looking for students who are driven to help others and would like to learn more about how a hospital functions.
Applicants must:
- Be 14-18 years of age (or will turn 14 by June 24th)
- Be available at least 6 of the 8 week program (June 24th through August 16th)
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B average)
- Be available for one 8-hour shift per week or two 4-hour shifts per week (between the hours of 8am-4pm) Monday through Friday for a minimum total of 48 hours
- Attend at least one educational session during the summer.
A MANDATORY information session will be held at Hartford Hospital on Monday, February 12, 2024 from 6:00-7:30pm.
Students who are interested in this opportunity should reach out to their school counselor for more information.
Follow this link to see a video from the 2023 Summer Program: Hartford Hospital VolunTeen Program 2023 - YouTube
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Shelter Meals
On November 6, in cooperation with Campus Ministry, student volunteers prepared food in the East Catholic cafeteria kitchen and transported it to South Park Inn in Hartford where they served about 40 people.
Campus Ministry coordinates these meals twice monthly- once at South Park Inn and once at ImmaCare in Hartford.
We are thankful to our donors who generously sponsor this specific program for us! The next Shelter Meal will be served on Tuesday, November 28th at ImmaCare Shelter in Hartford.
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Signing Day
Our Fall Signing Day was Thursday, November 9th for Seniors who have already committed to continuing their athletic career at the collegiate level.
We honored 8 seniors, alongside their coaches and their families.
Congratulations to Shea Boyle, Bella Jensen, CJ Nolan, Marissa Pinkham, Sam Reilly, Dylan Roy, Luke Veltri, and Bree Upton!
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Girls Swimming
Our girls swimming team made it to the Finals of the Class S Championships! The team came in 6th overall. Congrats on a successful season, swimmers!
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Girls Soccer
Our girls soccer team had a great season, making it all the way to the semifinals in the Class L Championship. They had a tough loss against Simsbury with a 1-1 tie that went to penalty kicks. Your teamwork and dedication made it an awesome tournament run!
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Athlete of the Week!
Joey Montalvo, a sophomore on the football team, was named GametimeCT's Athlete of the Week. In the game against Plainville, Joey caught 11 passes for 348 yards, which is the 3rd most in state history according to the CT High School Football Record Book, had 2 interceptions, and scored 3 touchdowns. The Eagles won the game 32-28!
Congratulations on this recognition, Joey!
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Winter 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.
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Eagle for a Day
If you know an 8th grader who would like to experience East throughout the day while following the schedule of a freshman or sophomore, encourage them to check out our “Eagle for a Day" program! Our students are very eager to welcome visitors, show off their special talents, and have a friendly chat while enjoying lunch in the cafeteria. Interested students can complete the registration by using this link. Once completed, the Admission Office will reach out to you and set up a date to shadow.
Please contact Abby Wehr Diemar '00 at (860) 649-5336, ext. 6456 with any questions regarding the Eagle for a Day program.
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Entrance Exams
The last Entrance Exam to qualify for merit-based financial assistance is Saturday, November 18th. The exam begins at 8:30am. Registration can be found at this link.
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Memorial Mass
On Sunday, November 5th, we held our Memorial Mass to celebrate the lives of our dearly departed alumni, faculty, and staff. This Mass was livestreamed on our East Catholic YouTube Channel.
If we missed your loved one in error, please contact the Director of Advancement, Julie Scalora, at (860) 649-5336 ext. 6234 or email scaloraj@echs.com.
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WalkEast Walk-a-thon
The WalkEast Walk-a-thon to benefit East Catholic High School was held on Friday, November 3rd. Students and staff participated in our largest spirit event and fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from this year's event go towards the new Broadcast Center at the school. Our goal was to raise $50,000.
We raised a grand total of $60,460! We cannot thank the families and friends of this East Catholic community enough for all of their support.
Remember, as a reward for hitting (and exceeding) our goal of raising $50,000, the students and staff will be off on Monday, November 27th.
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Rainbow Graphics has Spirit Wear available for the month of November, in addition to their uniform items (sweaters, quarter zips, and senior vests). Click on the link to access their online store: Home | East Catholic (inksoft.com) | |
2023-2024 School Calendar | |
The 2023-2024 School Calendar has been posted to the ECHS website and portal. | |
East Catholic High School | 115 New State Road, Manchester, CT 06042
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