DocHdl1OnPREPRESSMGRtmpTarget Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68 was our distinguished speaker at graduation this year. An accomplished eques-trian, Anne coached many local and national

East Catholic High SchoolALUMNI MAGAZINE

T H E

F A L L 2 0 1 5 V o l . 2 6 I s s u e 2

EagleEagle

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68

FAITH & SERVICE:Mission Trips

ATHLETICS:Varsity Coaches Honored

SPECIAL REPORTGraduation 2015

High SchoolEast Catholic

Soaring to New Heights

For more than 50 years, excellence has been our hallmark--in the classroom, on the

field, under the spotlight, and in the community. Students thrive at East as they

pursue their dreams and give their personal best. They experience academic rigor,

the call to serve others, and encouragement to develop their talents and potential.

We’re there, every step of the way, meeting the challenge of 21st century educa-

tion through innovation and well-planned expansion. This year we embarked on a

Three-Phase plan for expanding our academic, fine arts and athletic facilities. In the

opening days of school, we broke ground on Phase l - a science, math and technol-

ogy addition. Phase ll - a conversion of the former science area into performing and

visual arts space - is next followed by Phase lll, a multi-use athletic field with syn-

thetic turf. If you know of someone who is seeking a great high school experience

filled with achievement, purpose and belonging, tell them about East.

Our next Open House will be Thursday, November 5, at

6:45 p.m. Prospective parents, students, and friends are encouraged to attend to

learn more about the East Experience. We also welcome families and friends to call

our Admissions Office (860) 649-5336 x6238 to arrange for a tour of the school; and

x6456 to arrange an “Eagle For A Day” visit for a student. Learn more about East too

at www.echs.com.

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!• 99% are attending college this fall; 95% to four-year colleges;

4% to 2-year colleges

• 33.3% have taken at least one AP course; many have taken multiple AP courses and earned top honors.

• The 183 graduates qualified for grants and scholarships of $13.5 million, many

receiving multiple awards.

www.echs.com

The East Experience

CONTENTS

SPECIAL REPORTGraduation 2015

EC TRAVELGalapagos Islands,

Austria/Germany, and D.C.

18

FAITH & SERVICEMission Trips

14

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTAnne Mather Brzezicki ’68

32

24The Eagle Staff

Nancy Driscoll/Artois Design Graphic Design

Lisa Putnam Kirsche ’86 Writer

Virginia LaFontana Writer

Advancement Office

Sarah Adanti, Director Editor

Liz Griffin

Heidi Carlson

The Eagle is published twice a year by East

Catholic High School. News and alumni notes

should be sent to:

East Catholic High School

115 New State Road

Manchester, CT 06042

[email protected]

860-649-5336

East Catholic High School Administration

Jason Hartling - Principal and Chief Administrator

Elena Gostic - Vice Principal

Thomas Maynard - Vice Principal

Susan Perillo - Vice Principal

Letter from the Principal .........................................................2 East Academics ...................................................................... 4East Arts ..................................................................................7East Athletics ......................................................................... 10Alumni News..................................................................... ....36In Memory .............................................................................39East Community..................................................................... 40

DEPARTMENTS

On the cover: East Catholic travels to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

www.echs.comHigh School

East Catholic

Our 2015 One Book/One Community

selection, which all students and faculty

have read, is Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman,

the “sequel” to her much-loved and much-

read 1960 classic, To Kill a Mockingbird.

2 EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Jason Hartling

East now has a new

equestrian team.

This past June East Catholic celebrated our annual com-mencement at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. The class of 2015 was joined in procession by members of the Class of 1965 who donnedgolden sashes to commemorate 50 years since they graduated. While there are 50 years between the two graduations, the values, community and academic rigor of East Catholic have remained. From Ecuador to Hartford and many places in between, the East Catholic spirit is alive and thriving. You will see that spirit displayed in this edition of the Eagle. I hope you enjoy reading about the accomplishments, service and mile-stones of our faculty, students and alumni.

Alumna Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68 was our distinguished speaker at graduation this year. An accomplished eques-trian, Anne coached many local and national champions and is the Director of Equitation Programs at Middle Tennessee State Uni-versity in Murfrees-boro, TN. Through

Anne’s generosity and in memory of her classmate Janet Torpey, East Catholic has started its own Interscholastic Equestrian Association team. Eagle athletic prow-ess now extends to horseback.

This past year found us celebrating scholastic accomplishments, award winning performances and state championships. We have a lot to be proud of here at East Catholic, and we need your help to spread the word. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and keep connected in real time to the great things hap-pening at East. Despite our storied history, our accomplished alumni and our students’ success, some families may need your help in connecting

3THE EAGLE FALL 2015

East Catholic’s annual Pink Out

baseball game against

Manchester High School took

place on Wednesday, May 6th.

with and learning more about East Catholic. You know this is a unique place, a life experience that prepares our young men and women to excel.

This year’s student body represents over 40 towns and four different countries. Our freshman class is strong in number, academic preparation, creativity/talents and athletic ability. East Catho-lic is thriving thanks to the support, generosity and involvement of our entire community. Thank you, and may God bless you and your family.

Peace in Christ,

Jason “Jay” Hartling, Principal and Chief Administrator


Yale University Young Global Scholars Program

Senior Thuyen Truong was accepted to the International Affairs and Security session of the Yale Young Global Scholars program at Yale University for summer

session 2015. The applicant pool was the largest, most diverse and most competi-tive group the Yale Young Global Schol-ars Program has ever received, represent-ing over 110 different

countries and all 50 states. The applicants selected to participate represent an ex-traordinary group of young people from all over the world.

Faculty Retirees

This past June East Catholic bid farewell to members of the faculty who have retired after many years of service.

In the photo: Spanish Teacher Jay McConville

(39 years), French Teacher Judy Mereschuk

(11 years), Math Teacher Rita-Ann Owen (7

years), Math Teacher Eileen Gilles (21 years),

Math Teacher Maggie Jacobs (16 years), Latin

Teacher Cheryl Spillane (22 years), and seated

Math and Religion Teacher Sister Marion Ray-

mond Hurley, SND (45 years).

University of Bridgeport Leadership Conference

ECHS juniors Alexis Barselau, Sara Hohenthal, Brandon Narciso and Erik Renner attended the Hugh O’Brien Leadership (HOBY) Conference at the University of Bridgeport this past May. HOBY is an organization and conference designed to inspire our global commu-nity of youth in leadership, service and innovation. Each year the conference chooses a community service project, and this year’s chosen charity is the Animal Welfare Society, a no-kill shelter located in New Milford, CT. Students ran two bake sales to donate $225.00 for shelter necessities. They also col-lected over 40 pet care items donated by friends and families of ECHS.

Coca-Cola Scholars Program Finalist

Grace Mazzarella ’15 has been named a regional finalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Grace was selected as one of nearly 2,200 semifinalists from a pool of over 102,000 applicants. She has now ad-

vanced through the selection process and has been named as one of 250 regional finalists. This exceptional achievement acknowledges her excellent leadership skills, academic accomplishments and dedication to community service.

Beyond the Coca-Cola Scholars Program, Grace has been recognized for her outstanding scholarship and commu-nity service by various agencies, includ-ing the Governor’s Scholar program, the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the Manchester Association of Christian Churches, the Aurora Foundation for Emerging Philanthropists and the Tolland Knights of Columbus. She was instru-mental in bringing the “Feeding Children Everywhere” charity to East Catholic. In this annual event, ECHS students pack and ship over 45,000 meals to children in impoverished nations, including Uganda and Haiti.

Grace is also an accomplished artist, ballet dancer and pianist.

SAT Pefect Score for Scholar Student

Senior Genevieve Fritsch has earned a perfect score of 800 on the Critical Read-ing section of the SAT test on her first time taking the exam this spring.

Genevieve is involved in the music program at East Catho-lic and is a member of the Women’s Choir, Chamber Choir, Liturgical Choir and Concert Choir at the school. She also helps tutor 6th through 8th grade stu-dents in Manchester and is an assistant CCD teacher at St. Matthew’s Church in Tolland, CT.

eastacademics

Thuyen Truong

Brandon Narciso

Sara Hohenthal

Erik Renner

Alexis Barselau

Genevieve Fritsch


Archbishop Henry J. O’Brien Scholars for 2015East Catholic High School is proud to announce the Arch-

bishop Henry J. O’Brien Scholars for 2015. This unique recognition was instituted by the Reverend Charles E. Shaw, East Catholic’s first principal, and named for the Hartford archbishop who established East Catholic High School in 1961. The O’Brien Scholars represent the highest rank in academic achievement for the class and exemplify outstanding qualities of leadership and integrity.

Garrett Carlson is attending Rens-selaer Polytechnic Institute. A founding member of the ECHS Robotics team, he also was a member of the Engineer-ing team and the History Bowl team. A member of the National Honor Society, Garrett was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar.

Nicole Cohen is attending Tufts University. Nicole played for ECHS Girls Volleyball and Girls Tennis and was a member of the History Bowl team, as well as a writer and editor for the school news-paper, The Echo. A member of the National Honor Society, Nicole was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar.

John DeMartino is attending Boston University. John participated in ECHS Track and also was a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, East Catholic Choral Ensemble, String Orchestra, and

was co-president of the ECHS Jazz Band. A member of the National Honor Society, John was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar.

Tiffany Dias is attending the Univer-sity of Rochester. Tiffany participated in ECHS Track and Field Hockey and was a member of the Pit Orchestra, Stage Band, Concert Band, Pep Band and the History Bowl Team. A member of the National Honor Society, Tiffany was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar and as a National Merit Commended Scholar.

Alex Fernez is attending Carnegie Mellon University. Alex participated in ECHS Boys Soccer and Track, the Engi-neering team, the Senior Executive Board and the ECHS Chemistry Olympiad State Championship team. A member of the National Honor Society, Alex was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar and as a National Merit Finalist.

Alex Hill is attending Northeastern University. A member of the ECHS Robot-ics team and a founding member of the History Bowl team, Alex was also a mem-ber of the 2014 Chemistry Olympiad State Championship team. In addition, Alex was a member of the National Honor Society.

Juliana Holcomb is attending the College of the Holy Cross. Juliana was a member of the ECHS Diving, Cross Country, and Powder Puff Football teams,

as well as the Pit Orchestra, Liturgical Ensemble, the Culture and Language Club and the staff of the school newspaper, The Echo. A member of the National Honor Society, Juliana was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar.

Grace Mazzarella is attending Wil-liams College. Grace was a member of the 2013 State Championship History Bowl State Championship team and was instru-mental in bringing East Catholic’s day of service program “Feeding Children Every-where” to the school. A member of the National Honor Society, Grace was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar and as a National Merit Finalist.

Benjamin Schwendy is attending Clemson University. Benjamin played for ECHS Boys Lacrosse and Football. A member of the National Honor Society, Benjamin was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar and as a National Merit Finalist.

Alaina Van Slooten is attending Northeastern University. Alaina partici-pated in student government at East Cath-olic and has received the Girl Scouts of America Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. A member of the National Honor Society, Alaina was also honored this spring as a Summa Scholar and as a National Merit Finalist.

Left to right back row: Alex Hill, Benjamin Schwendy, Alex Fernez, Garrett Carlson, John DeMartino, Alaina Van Slooten.

Left to right front row: Tiffany Dias, Grace Mazzarella, Juliana Holcomb, Nicole Cohen.

E

BY LISA PUTNAM KIRSCHE ’86


ON

CAM

PUS

East Catholic Engineering Team

veteran Physics teacher with

decades of experience, Ms. Sue

Fennelly has been mentoring aspiring

engineers in the competition now known as

the SourceAmerica Design Challenge for over

20 years. Yet this past school year, she found

inspiration for it on her first faculty training

day, when East Catholic teachers visited local

non-profit organization MARC, Inc. “The

interesting thing is,” she explains, “when

I went on teacher orientation to MARC, I

realized it would be a great partnership” to

develop for the contest, and

her instincts proved right. Six

months later, from February

23 - 25, 2015, the East Catholic

Engineering Team earned

fourth place in the National

Finals of the SourceAmerica

Design Challenge in Washing-

ton, D.C.

While she is quick to credit

the students and other adults

involved, Ms. Fennelly has

been the impetus behind

this exemplary first-year

team. Soon after her initial

visit to MARC, Inc., she spoke

with Principal Jay Hartling

about organizing an engineering team

and solicited interest for it in ECHS science

classes. She also contacted Kevin Zingler,

Director of Marketing at MARC, Inc., to

discuss how the organization’s support and

advocacy of people with disabilities made it

an ideal match for the national engineering

competition. As stated on its website, the

SourceAmerica Design Challenge partners

high school students with “an organization

which employs people with disabilities or an

individual with a disability to invent a pro-

cess, device, system or software” in order to

“overcome a workplace barrier for a person

with a disability.” With this in mind, the new

ECHS team visited MARC, Inc., and learned

about different client workplace situations

where they could offer useful assistance.

Client Robert Noll, who has been blind since

birth and also has a cognitive disability,

became the inspiration for team captain

Gabe Buenrostro ’16, Garrett Carlson ’15, John

DiLoreto ’16, Emma Dolen ’16 and Alex Fernez

’15. With Jon Sargent, father of Emily Sargent

’15, joining as official coach, the team was

ready to work.

Over the next several months, the team

created progressively sophisticated versions

of “Robert’s U-bolt Device,” or the R.U.D.,

designed to help Robert complete his work

for Empire Industry Plumbing Supply. In

his job, Robert needs to take a U-bolt and

thread nuts onto it, two on each side, ¼ of

an inch down. Before the invention of the

R.U.D., Robert had difficulty threading the

nuts according to the company’s specifica-

tions and often had to rely on others to add

nuts or adjust them to the proper position.

The R.U.D., as detailed in the team’s com-

petition video, “is a turntable with a nut

reservoir, hinged wooden cartridges and

pins to hold the bolts in place, attached to a

disk of wood” on a Lazy Susan rotating tray.

The R.U.D. fulfills what Ms. Fennelly notes

as the most important component of the

competition: “the product they make actu-

ally changes people’s lives.” When Robert

uses it, he works more accurately, efficiently

and independently, as proven by data taken

by the team. The R.U.D. so impressed the

competition’s judges that they selected the

team as one of five national finalists.

With Robert, Principal Hartling, Ms. Fen-

nelly and Mr. Sargent, the students arrived

in our nation’s capital. On the first day, the

team gave a 20 minute presentation, includ-

ing a brief question-and-answer session

with judges, and set up their display. The

next day, the group met with CT

Representative Joe Courtney, en-

joyed a tour of the city organized

by CT Representative John Larson,

and attended a SourceAmerica

reception. The third day featured

additional team presentations

and interviews, a keynote speech

and the award ceremony. With

its fourth place finish, the East

Catholic Engineering Team

won a total of $5000; of that

amount, East Catholic was given

$2000, MARC, Inc. was given

$1000, and the students were

given the remaining $2000 to

share. More importantly, Robert

“was just beaming” when he received his

medal, as Emma Dolen describes. For Emma,

a highlight of the entire experience was

Robert’s father telling the team how much

he appreciated people seeing Robert “for

his capabilities rather than his disabili-

ties” throughout the project’s completion.

For teammate Alex Fernez, “my biggest

takeaway from the SourceAmerica Design

Challenge was learning how easy it is to help

someone.” He added that the competition

is “a fantastic initiative for getting students

who have interest in engineering-related

futures involved in a project with real-world

problems.” For Ms. Fennelly, “the whole

experience was just really amazing,” as is her

tremendous contribution to our school.

East Academics continued

In the photo: Front row – Emma Dolen ’16, Gabe Buenrostro ’16, MARC, Inc.

Client Robert Noll; Alex Fernez ’15 and Garrett Carlson ’15; Back row – Principal,

Jay Hartling; Engineering Team Coach, Jon Sargent; Ben Davis from MARC, Inc.,

John DiLoreto ’16, Kevin Zingler from MARC, Inc. and former ECHS

Teacher/Mentor, Sue Fennelly.


A


“Anything Goes” flawlessly at StageEast

On the morning of March 16, 2015, though the performances of East Catholic High School’s production of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” had already gone by, local radio personality Brad Davis of WDRC shared his enjoyment of the show

on his live broadcast. “As I watched these students from East Catholic perform,” he reported, “if I didn’t know I was watching a high school musical, I would have thought I was on Broadway.” Re-

ferring to our actors, singers, dancers and musicians as “pros,” Mr. Davis was surely not alone in his view, as the audiences on March 13th and 14th were treated to an outstanding rendition of this Broadway favorite.

Even before the house lights dimmed, the expansive, ambitious set cued audi-ence members to both the scale of the production and the tremendous work behind it. Designed as the ship S. S. American, our stage was transformed to show multiple decks and cabins, accom-modate complex choreography, and allow the talented orchestra to play in full view. Once again, the “Super Dads” outdid themselves constructing the set, and Fine Arts teacher, Judy Knight Landry ’85, excelled in painting the scenery. The caliber of the set clearly let the perform-ers showcase their sky-high talent from the opening notes of the orchestra, con-ducted expertly by Pit Orchestra Director David Brudz.

Beginning with the Cole Porter classic “I Get a Kick Out of You,” Dana Rud-

nansky ’16 captivated the audience with her powerhouse turn as lead character Reno Sweeney. She set the bar for the impressive vocals of Nathan Bell ’17 as Billy Crocker, Elise Moreau ’17 as Hope Harcourt, Ethan Denton ’17 as Moonface Martin, and other great performers on-stage. As the Captain, played by Matthew Pyznar ’16, and his crew prepared for the voyage of the S. S. American in “There’s No Cure Like Travel,” other romantic tangles and clever plot twists unfolded in such iconic Porter songs as “Friendship” and “It’s De-Lovely.” Act One closed with the full company delivering an energetic, technically precise performance of “Any-thing Goes.” In Act Two, the unflagging vitality of the show continued, including a notable comic rendition of “The Gypsy in Me” by Grant Evans ’17. The central ten-sions of the plot resolved over the course of several Porter songs, culminating in a company finale that was nothing short of spectacular.

While so many of the show’s songs are familiar, the one that best captures the spirit of this production is “You’re the Top.” From the elaborate dance num-bers that took months of practice, to the procurement of stunning costumes, to the impeccable timing and stamina of the performers, Director Matthew Cornish and Vocal Director and Choreographer

Jen Moros presented a show that affirms their many strengths in theatre arts. Production Manager Patrick McLaughlin, along with dozens of parents, also helped ensure the success of this show. Not surprisingly, then, Mr. Davis of-fered his congratulations over the airwaves, noting “You guys are the best, no question about it.” Every performer in “Anything Goes” proved him right.

Honorable Mention for Student Artist

Junior Olivia Varga was presented with an Honorable Mention award from Donate Life Connecti-cut on Friday, April 10th at the Connecticut State Capitol. She

was recognized for creating a poster encouraging people to become organ donors as part of Donate Life Connecticut’s Annual Visual Arts Contest. Olivia’s design rep-resents hands com-ing together in the shape of a heart.

eastarts

Olivia Varga


OLIVIA VARGAHONORABLE MENTION


East Catholic and the Fantastic Festivals

On Saturday, May 16th, the ECHS Orches-tra, String Orchestra, Chamber Choir, and ECCE went to Fantastic Festivals. The festival runs for six weeks in several sites each year. Each group performed three pieces for two adjudicators and were scored on upwards of 36 different musical points. ECCE earned Platinum honors for their 4th year in a row! Orchestra, String Orchestra and Chamber Choir all earned a gold rating!

Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation

Through a generous grant from the Jamie A. Hully Arts Foundation, East Catholic High School girls help mentor the students in the arts at Grace Academy in Hartford which is the only tuition-free, all-girls middle school serving the poor and the marginalized in Connecticut. One initia-tive this past school year took place at East Catholic with Art Teacher Judy Knight Landry ’85 leading a master sculpture class on hands in art. Students made sculptures of hands followed by a visit to a local museum where they were able to see how hands were represented in art.

Choral program participates Prayer in Opera

On Saturday, March 21st, members of the East Catholic Choral program were invited to sing with the CT Lyric Opera in a performance called “Prayer in Opera.” The group was conducted by Maestro Adrian Sylveen and accompanied by an orchestra. East Catholic students were the only Catholic high school students performing for the event. This was part of the Cathedral of St. Joseph’s Sacred Sound Series.

Acting Out All Day and Having a Wonderful Time

On Saturday April 25th, members of Stage East came together in an event known as “One Acts in One Day.” While auditions took place a few days prior to the event, all other aspects, including set building, costuming, blocking, rehearsing, lighting and sound all had to occur on the day of the performance. Each play was one act long and was directed by students. Shan-non Pelletier ’15 directed DMV Tyrant. Lindsay Veilleux ’15 directed We Cannot Know the Mind of God. Jill Lehmann ’15 directed Funeral Parlor and Amy Agro ’16 directed The Game.

East Arts continued


1

7

4 5 6

8

2 3

ECHS Visual ArtistsVarious pieces of artwork by student artists that were displayed prior to the Spring Concert

1) Briana Flannery ’16

2 ) Emily FuXi Worcester ’16

3) Maile Thongsythavong ’15

4) Jillian Ferrigno ’17

5) Unknown by Art 1 Student

6) Rebekah Strand ’15

7) Tracey Thonakkaraparayil ’15

8) Joe Milazzo ’17.


Three Varsity Coaches HonoredIn this exciting year for the East Catholic Athletic Department,

three varsity coaches have been honored for their excellence in coaching and sports-manship. Athletic Director and Boys Golf Coach Tom Malin ’65, Boys Tennis Coach Ryan Healey and Girls Hockey Coach Frank Usseglio have all been recognized by various coaching organizations for their outstanding leadership of ECHS athletes. Remarkably, all three have led their teams to state championships this year as well.

Coach Tom Malin has been named a finalist for National Golf Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA), the oldest coaches association in the nation. The criteria for his selection include career longevity, service to high school

athletics, champion-ship years and winning percentage. One of eight finalists, he at-tended the NHSACA national convention at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, MN. Fittingly, Coach Malin

reached the milestone of 500 Boys Golf wins this season, a victory that happened to fall on his birthday, May 6th. On June 9th, he led his team to another victory at the CIAC Division III State Championships. ECHS Boys Golf Coach since 1976, Coach Malin draws praise across the East Catholic community. Assistant Athletic Director Mike Mooney notes, “His extensive knowl-edge and dedication to the profession keep Tom a standout” as a coach not only of Boys Golf, but also Boys Soccer. Boys Ten-nis Coach Ryan Healey commends him as well: “When they cut the mold for coaches,

he was it. He has class, he has integrity, he has it all.” No matter who wins this specific NHSACA honor, Coach Malin has proven himself as a champion high school coach.

Coach Ryan Healey has obviously fol-lowed the example set by Coach Malin, as the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) has honored him as Coach of the Year in Boys Tennis for 2014-

2015. The CHSCA, which considers a coach’s entire resume in its selection, notified him of this distinction just before Christmas 2014. A “non-compet-itive” tennis player in high school, Coach

Healey has been involved in the game of ten-nis since age 12, when he “got into working at the Pilot Pen” tournament. “I’ve always loved tennis, always followed it,” he says. Fortunately for East Catholic, when he ap-plied for an assistant hockey coach position, he also offered to help out with tennis. At that point, “Tom Malin said, ‘No, I need a coach for tennis.’ That’s how it started.” Having finished his 12th season this spring, Coach Healey’s overall record is 161-39, with six state championship finishes in the run-ner-up position since 2008, and two Class S State Championships, won in 2013 and 2015. One ECHS player, Kiran Daggula ’15, values how “He’s always looking to do what’s best for us” as a coach, and teammate Eric Wein-stein ’16 appreciates how “he supports and encourages us to do well. He’s always honest with us.” For Kiran, the state championship this spring was “amazing,” a description that clearly fits his coach as well.

Similar to Coach Healey, Girls Hockey Coach Frank Usseglio has been hon-

ored in the same year he has won a state championship. The Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) named him its Coach of the Year for this year’s hockey season, and notified him in late February 2015, during the SCC Girls Hockey Finals. Less than two weeks later, on March 7th, his East Catholic/Glastonbury/South Windsor cooperative team tied Simsbury 2-2; the two SCC teams share the 2015 Connecticut Girls Ice Hockey State Title. Assistant Athletic Director Mooney is well aware of what it takes to gain such success: “Frank’s unique quality is to bring students of three schools together and coach them as a cohesive unit,” add-ing he has done “a fantastic job.” Coach Usseglio has coached ECHS Girls Hockey as a club sport, and since the 2012-13 sea-son, as a varsity sport. Also this year, the Connecticut Chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials Association gave him its Vincent J. Reilly Sportsmanship Award, an honor Coach Usseglio says is “more a reflection of the team.” Player Maggie Hallisey ’15 appreciates how her coach “sets up the framework but gives us the freedom to make the plays when we see the opportu-nity.” Teammate Eliza Baker ’16 describes him as “such a great coach” who “isn’t afraid to push us,” but who “al-ways has time for some cheesy conversa-tion with the girls.” Baker continues, “he wants to connect with us,” and unques-tionably he has.

The East Catholic community con-gratulates these coaches on their stellar accomplishments.

eastathletics


Coach Malin

Coach Healey

Coach Usseglio

I

Tom Malin ’65 (far right) and the ECHS Boys Golf CIAC Division III State Championshions

Ryan Healey (far left) and the ECHS Boys Tennis Team

Frank Usseglio (far left) and the East Catholic/Glastonbury/South Windsor Girls Hockey Team

Graduating Seniors Continuing Athletic Careers

BASEBALL:

Clay Felice (Iona College)

Logan Greene (UMass Amherst)

Brandon Fox (Central Connecticut State University)

Michael Piskorz (University of Tampa)

Andrew Stutts (Eastern Connecticut State University)

Josh Zbierski (Southern New Hampshire University)

Isaiah Likely (Holyoke Community College)

BASKETBALL:

Tashai Price (Western Connecticut State University)

John Lambert (Dean Junior College)

Jay Nunez (Eastern Connecticut State University)

CHEERLEADING

Sarah Cota (Sacred Heart University)

FOOTBALL:

John Lambert (Dean Junior College)

GOLF:

Alex Manner (Sacred Heart University)

Logan French (Bentley University)

LACROSSE:

Luke Townsend (Virginia Wesleyan University)

John Peters (Providence College)

SOCCER:

Blake Mullen (St. Joseph’s College of Maine)

Rory Twomey (St. Joseph’s College of Maine)

SOFTBALL:

Kristin Cancelliere (Arcadia University)

SWIMMING:

Kailey Demers (Central Connecticut State University)

TENNIS:

Danny Waung (Assumption College)

TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY:

Sam Pineo (Merrimack College)

Steven Bolger (Bucknell University)

James Mello (Franciscan University of Steubenville)

Courtney Dudzinski (Utica College)

Marissa Cadieux (Hofstra University)



Athletics - 2014/2015 In Review• 4 All-State Teams (Girls Soccer and Ice

Hockey; Boys Tennis and Golf)

• 1 Runner-up All-State Team (Girls Swimming)

• 4 Conference Championship Teams

• 79 All-Conference Honorees

• 277 Academic All-Conference Honorees

• 26 All-State Honorees

• 16 All-Courant Honorees (includes honorable

mention)

Fall: (3 All-State; 23 All-Conference; 109 Academic

All-Conference)

ALL-CONFERENCE:Volleyball - Reilly Keenan ’16, Abby Stern ’17

Soccer (G) - Kelsey Fisher ’16, Mason

Worthington ’16, Madison Sarra ’15

Soccer (B) – Luke Schroeder ’15, Ryan Regan ’15,

Rory Twomey ’15

Swimming (G) - Kailey Demers’15, Shannon

Leary ’17, Maddie Crowley ’18, Erinne Neff ’16,

Samantha Dickinson ’17, Kelly Chmielewski ’17

Football - Nathan Procaccini ’16, Jack Desautels

’16, Christopher Amata ’16, Jack Trainor ’15, Andre

Brackett Jr. ’16, John Lambert ’15

Cross Country (G) - Emma Dolen ’15,

Maura Oei ’16

Field Hockey – Emily Sargent ’15

ALL-STATE:Girls Soccer - Mason Worthington ’16

Boys Soccer - Luke Schroeder ’15

Swimming – Shannon Leary ’17

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE:

Volleyball 12, Girls Soccer 22, Boys Soccer 15,

Swimming 23, Football 12, Boys Cross Country 6,

Girls Cross Country 8, Field Hockey 11.

ALL COURANT TEAM: Football - all the following football players are

honorable mention (HM), Luke Townsend ’15,

John Lambert ’15, Nathan Procaccini ’16, Andre

Brackett ’16

Boys Soccer - Luke Schroeder ’15

Girls Soccer - Mason Worthington ’16, Madison

Sarra ’15 (HM)

Swimming - Kailey Demers ’15 (HM)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Girls Soccer Class M State Champs; Girls Swimming

Class M Runner-up; CCC North Sportsmanship

Recipient; Overall CCC Sportsmanship Winner;

Michael’s Cup Recipient.

WINTER: (4 All-State; 14 All-Conference; 61 Aca-

demic All-Conference)

ALL-CONFERENCE:Wrestling – Jack Desautels ’16, Connor

Goldberg ’16

Girls Indoor Track - Abby Gothers ’16, Natalie

Kopiec ’15, Amy-Erin Zadroga ’17

Boys Indoor Track - Steven Bolger ’15

Girls Hockey – 1st Team: Margaret

Hallisey ’16 and Morgan Peters ’17; 2nd Team:

Maddison Bishop ’16

Boys Hockey - Alex Manner ’15, Jack

McCarthy ’15, Lee Munson ’15

Girls Basketball - Corrine McPadden ’16

Boys Basketball – Mark Carbone ’16,

John Lambert ’15

ALL-STATE: Abby Gothers ’16 (high-jump), Steven Bolger ’15

(high-jump); Mark Carbone ’16 and John

Lambert ’15 (basketball)

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE:Boys swimming 9; Boys Indoor Track 12; Girls

Indoor Track 10; Hockey 11; Wrestling 8; Boys

Basketball 3; Girls Basketball 8

ALL COURANT TEAM: Basketball - Mark Carbone ’16, John Lambert ’15

Hockey - Jake McCarthy ’15, Lee Munson ’15 (HM)

and Alex Manner ’15 (HM)

Indoor Track – Abby Gothers ’16, Amy Zadroga ’17,

Steven Bolger ’15 (all HM)

HIGHLIGHTS: Girls Ice Hockey State Champions and SCC Cham-

pions; Frank Usseglio – Southern Connecticut

Conference Coach of the Year

SPRING: (19 All-State; 42 All-Conference; 107

Academic All-Conference)

ALL-CONFERENCE:Softball – Kristin Cancelliere ’15, Natalie Fulco

’15, Jenny Titus ’18, Brianna Lachapelle ’17

Baseball – Jimmy Titus ’16, Logan Greene ’15,

Clay Felice ’15, Brandon Fox ’15, and Danny

Glendon ’17

Lacrosse (B) - Connor Stull ’16, Owen Boggini ’16,

Chris Amata ’16, Trevor Wilcox ’16, Luke Townsend

’15, David DeMartino ’17, John Peters ’15, Brendan

Casey ’16

Lacrosse (G) - Marissa Bazzano ’16, Alexa Weber ’18

Outdoor Track (G) - Emma Dolen ’16, Emilie

Dufresne ’16, Abby Gothers ’16, Natalie Kopiec ’15,

Amy-Erin Zadroga ’17

Outdoor Track (B) - Steven Bolger ’15, Pablo

Colon ’15

Golf (B) - Logan French ’15, Alex Manner ’15, Alex

Dahlem ’16, PJ Gehris ’17

Golf (G) - Julia Brennan ’15, Katelyn Jyllka ’17, Katie

Miller ’15, Corinne Zazzaro ’15

Tennis (B) - Danny Waung ’15, Ben Bosco ’15,

Kirantheja Daggula ’16, Mike Dorman ’15, Eric

Weinstein ’16, Hunter Stone ’16

Tennis (G) - Cecilia Parla ’15, Nicole Cohen ’15

ALL-STATE: Danny Waung ’15 (tennis-singles), Michael

Dorman ’15/Eric Weinstein ’16 (tennis - doubles);

Alexa Weber ’18 (lacrosse); Logan French ’15, Alex

Manner ’15, Alex Dahlem ’16, PJ Gehris ’17 (golf);

Brandon Fox ’15, Jimmy Titus ’16 (baseball); Steven

Bolger ’15, Abby Gothers ’16, Amy-Erin Zadroga ’16

(track); Katelyn Jylkka ’17 (golf); Chris Amata ’16,

Brendan Casey ’16, Luke Townsend ’15 (first team

– lacrosse) and Connor Stull ’16, Trevor Wilcox ’16

(second team – lacrosse).

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Track 26; Boys Tennis 9; Girls Tennis 8; Boys La-

crosse 17; Boys Golf 5; Girls Golf 3; Girls Lacrosse 19;

Baseball 10; Softball 10.

HIGHLIGHTS: Tennis – State Champions

Golf – State Champions and CCC Champions

(overall)

Logan French ’15 – Hartford Courant Golfer of

the Year

Boys Lacrosse – CCC North Champions

Mark Townsend – Boys Lacrosse Assistant Coach

of the Year

Baseball – CCC North Champions

Jimmy Titus ’16 – Gatorade Baseball Player of the

Year CT

East Athletics continued

ECHS Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team Central Connecticut

Conference East Division Tournament Champions.


CT Soccer Coaches Association Award

Luke Schroeder ’15 was named a recipi-ent of the Dr. Valerio Moretti Scholar-Athlete Award given by the Connecticut

Soccer Coaches Association (CSCA) and presented at the annual awards banquet at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, CT on January 25th. This merit scholarship award is given to outstand-

ing senior CSCA All-State soccer players who combine athletic prowess with high academic achievement. Luke was also a member of the East Catholic Executive Board, Captain’s Council, Environmental Club and Human Rights Club and was a volunteer at the Catholic Worker House in Hartford. Luke is attending Villanova University next year.

Gatorade CT Baseball Player of the Year

Jimmy Titus ’16 has been named as the 2014-2015 Gatorade Connecticut Baseball

Player of the Year. This award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary char-acter demonstrated on and off the field.

Jimmy, the first Gatorade Connecticut Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from East Catholic High School, is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Na-tional Baseball Player of the Year award. This is Gatorade’s 30th year honoring the nation’s best high school athletes in col-

laboration with USA TODAY High School Sports.

Titus was also named a Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-American. He has maintained a 3.95 GPA in the class-room, volunteered with MARC, Inc. of Manchester, and coached local youth baseball players.

Student Competes in Gymnastics Nationally

Alex Fitzgerald ’17 has been competing in gymnastics since age 5 under Coach

Frank Valentin at Tri-Town Gymnastics in Tolland. He competes on all six events for men: vault, pommel horse, floor, rings, high bar and parallel bars. He has competed na-tionally in Long Beach,

CA, Portland, OR, Cincinnati, OH, and most recently in Daytona Beach, FL, where he competed in all six events and made the finals for parallel bars and vault. He placed 14th overall on parallel bars and 34th on the vault. In addition to Alex’s school work, he spends three hours daily training at the gym, taking just four weeks off in the summer. His goal is to compete in gymnastics at the college level.

Student Athlete Receives Private Pilot’s License

Alex Schaller ’15 just received his private pilot’s license. Alex took his first flying lesson during his sophomore year and knew instantly that he loved aviation. He became a student pilot at Premier Flight Center based at the Hartford-Brainard Airport. Planning to become a com-mercial pilot, Alex is attending Embry-

Riddle Aeronautical University studying Aeronautical Science. During his time at East Catholic, Alex was a member of the football team and received an All-Academic Football Team award. He also volunteered his time at Manchester Manor, assisting the elderly.

Luke Schroeder

Alex Fitzgerald

Jimmy Titus

Alex Fitzgerald competing at an

event in Daytona Beach, FL

Alex Schaller

A


FAITH & SERVICE

Mission TripsMission Trips

BY LENORA SUMSKY

Several East Catholic students have an-swered the call “to rouse one another to love and good works” (Hebrews

10:24) on mission trips rooted in our Campus Min-istry program and other service organizations. By taking a local summer ride, driving through a major snowstorm, or flying to another country, these students have landed where “love and good works” are main attractions.

Close to home, the St. Rose of Lima mis-sion trip has taken place every summer in New Haven, CT for the past five years. Conceived by Reverend James Manship ’82 and ECHS Campus Ministry Director Laurie Janecko, this trip has brought together teenagers from St. Rose of Lima parish and ECHS to provide a week-long Vacation Bible School for local children. As Mrs. Janecko explains, the Vacation Bible School, funded by a

“

“

…what shocked

me was the

mass of poverty

Zach Hess


S


A

Stephanie Cota ’15 hanging

drywall at a home in rural

West Virginia.

grant from the Office of Catholic Social Justice Ministry, has run during the mornings. In the af-ternoons and evenings, students from both com-munities have discussed immigration and poverty, shared cultural food, learned salsa dancing and visited New York City together. Mrs. Janecko, with chaperones Ms. Stacey Boisselle and Mrs. Elena Gostic, has taken between five and eleven ECHS students since the program began. One of

them, junior Alyssa Fiori, appreciates the “oppor-tunity to meet new people,” particularly one that “opens your eyes to new cultures.” Eager to return for a second summer, Alyssa notes the trip creates “the perfect element” for anyone “motivated to

help people” and to build lasting connections.

Beyond our home state, ECHS students have also forged lasting connections at Nazareth Farm in Salem, West Virginia, where an annual ECHS mission trip takes place each February break. This year, faculty coordi-nator Patrick McLaughlin and chaperones Jenna Taylor, Stella

Thonakkaraparayil and Mary Noryk accompanied 14 students to “Naz Farm” to live in concert with its four cornerstones of prayer, sim-plicity, community and service. Specifi-cally, Nazareth Farm staff members oversee volunteers who do basic home repairs for local families who otherwise could not af-ford them. As Ms. Taylor notes, “Everyone there is dedicated to this community, to families, to volunteers, to West Virginia.” This year, ECHS volunteers completed daily chores in the morning and then served at different work sites; the “home crew” stayed to maintain the Farm as “a welcoming place,” while another crew built a mudroom for a local family. The weather dictated the types of tasks avail-able, but not the spirit of the volunteers. Senior Kim Hook found it “fun to cut drywall and put up plaster,” but more importantly, her trip “really changed my perspective” from “how much water we use” to “how fortunate we are.” She looks forward to next year’s trip, as does Mr. McLaugh-lin. “I love the work they do, I love the simplicity with which they do it, and I love the commitment they show to an underserved community,” he says. Even with an extra day tacked on due to severe snowstorms, the trip stood out not just for the challenges of Nature, but in Ms. Taylor’s words, for feeling “like service was such a natural thing to do.”

Certainly service comes naturally to seniors Zach Hess and Nathalie Noriega, both of whom

Zach Hess ’16 with high school students at College

Pere Bruny in Les Palmes, Haiti.

“ “ …the perfect element

for anyone motivated

to help people and

to build lasting

connections…

Alyssa Fiori

ECHS group that traveled

and volunteered at Nazareth

Farm.


Faith & Service continued

pursued service opportunities beyond ECHS, travelling to Haiti and Mexico in separate mission trips this year. First, from January 21-28, Zach Hess journeyed with his father, Bill Hess, and others from St. Mary’s Church in Coventry to Port-au-Prince and Les Palmes, a rural mountain village significantly affected by the earthquake of 2010. Eager to give extra meaning to the trip, Zach organized a school supplies drive at ECHS, and brought over 200 lbs. of supplies to the local high school, College Pere Bruny. While Zach “went in with an open mind” in terms of his expecta-tions, “what shocked me was the mass of poverty” he saw, as “we are not exposed to that scale of poverty at home.” More impressive, though, was the “amazing” hospitality of the people. In the capital city, Zach felt moved to be considered family after holding babies and helping to feed them at an orphanage. In the village, whether offering every grapefruit available on local trees or hunting down chairs across Les Palmes for their guests, the native people struck Zach as “ex-tremely happy and extremely faithful.” Though he

knows “Haiti is poor in material needs,” he also discovered “it is not a poor country. It is strong in family ties, strong in faith ties,” and the people are “always smiling.”

Nathalie Noriega, too, found that the people of Oaxaca, Mexico’s poorest city, and the surrounding jungle to be “as happy as can be – happier than many I know here, to be honest.”

Pictures of local children

at orphanage in Oaxaca,

Mexico.

ECHS student Nathalie Noriega ’16 holding a little boy

in rural Oaxaca, Mexico who is about to receive

medical treatment.

Local dump in Oaxaca,

Mexico where people have

carved out a place to live

amongst the litter and

debris.


SERV

ICE

Easter/Greater Hartford Jaycees

Through a generous grant provided by the

Greater Hartford Jaycee Foundation, East

Catholic High School was able to prepare Easter

packs filled with school supplies for students in

Hartford. The agencies that benefitted from this

generosity include the Burr School after-school

program and The Catholic Worker House which

are places where our students provide commu-

nity service throughout the year.

Pink Out Game EC vs. Manchester

East Catholic’s annual Pink Out baseball game

against Manchester High School took place at

the school on Wednesday, May 6th. East

Catholic beat Manchester 5 – 3 and helped to

raise $3000 in support of the ECHN Breast Can-

cer Collaborative that assists the agency and

survivorship programs.

Feeding Children Everywhere

On Friday, April 10th, East Catholic students,

faculty and staff participated in the 3rd annual

day of service with the “Feeding Children Every-

where” program. This year over 40,000 meals

were prepared and packaged for children and

families in need in Haiti.

She flew alone to join a mission trip from March 14-21 sponsored by Simply Smiles, an organiza-tion that aims to provide a “bright futures for impoverished children, their families and their communities.” Nathalie, who first learned of Simply Smiles through Julia Loomer ’14, e-mailed the organization to share “how passionate I am about community service.” Accepted as the youngest volunteer on her trip, Nathalie travelled to the center of operations in Oaxaca. There, she helped lay tiles and set up bedrooms for two girls sponsored to receive an education in the city, before she travelled to the jungle. She also helped build latrines and pack food for the dispensa – a site where local families, often walking several miles through the jungle, access food and critical medication. For Nathalie, “meeting the people I was helping was amazing.” Like Zach Hess in Haiti, she appreciated “the affection they had for us. People were constantly coming up and giving us fruit that might be all they have” to show their gratitude. Though away from all electronics and unable to contact home on the trip, “I felt com-pletely at peace.”

Both Zach and Nathalie aspire to return to Haiti and Mexico, and pos-sibly, to expand their trips to include more ECHS students in the future. Wherever they have done their volun-teering, our students in service exem-plify “love and good works.”

“

“

…how passionate I

am about community

service…Nathalie Noriega

East Catholic High School

students preparing the Easter

school supply bags for

students in Hartford.

Chris Daly ’18 with mom Mary

at the ECHS Pink Out Game.

ECHS students Briana Bellamy ’15,

Hanna Bauer ’15, Devon Brewer ’15

and John Lambert ’15 packaging

meals for the “Feeding Children

Everywhere” program.


EC TRAVEL

ECHS Science Teacher Lesa Milas with

students Maggie McGeary ’16 and Grace

Pulito ’16 getting rained on while visiting

the Galapagos Islands.


GlobetrottingEagles

19

If, as Roman philosopher Seneca observed, “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind,” then it

has been a vigorous spring for many East Catholic students who travelled to Germany and Austria, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Washing-ton, D.C. on ECHS trips.

On Friday, February 13th, students who had ea-gerly anticipated their ECHS trip to Germany and Austria for months attended half a day of school, then departed for JFK Airport in New York City. Their next destination: Munich, Germany. ECHS Social Studies teacher Eric Cruanes coordinated the trip with EF Tours and noted the trip not only had great appeal for history buffs, but for those fascinated by German and Austrian culture, music, food and language. In addition to their EF tour guide, the ECHS travelers enjoyed the benefit of two weekend visits with former ECHS Social Stud-ies teacher Rob Dornfried, a Fulbright Scholar in Austria last year. Mr. Cruanes emphasized that Mr. Dornfried’s presence “added another layer of lo-cal enjoyment and learning” for the ECHS group. In Munich, our travelers visited Nymphenburg Castle (a former royal summer palace), the sites of the Munich 1972 Olympics and the Dachau con-centration camp, and BMW headquarters. After three days, the group arrived in Salzburg, Austria,

where they toured the cathedral in the center of old Salzburg, St. Peter’s restaurant (the oldest in Austria), and film sites from The Sound of Music, including the gazebo from the film. A highlight for Mr. Cruanes and others was the sleigh ride to an inn in Filzmoos, a winter resort where our group appreciated “extraordinary hospitality.” Returning to Germany for the flight home, the ECHS travel-ers experienced the best of both countries. Austin

ECHS students visiting

Neuschwanstein Castle in

southwestern Bavaria,

Germany.

I BY LISA PUTNAM KIRSCHE ’86


“ Buck ’16 found the trip especially meaningful “with me being a transfer student this year.” “East Catholic culture,” he says, “is awesome,” and “get-ting exposed to German culture was amazing,” a sentiment echoed by many on the trip.

As another ECHS group found out over April break, exposure to Ecuadorean culture was amazing as well. Coordinated by Advancement Director Sarah Adanti and AP Biology teacher Lesa Milas through Explorica, the trip featured excursions in the capital city of Quito, Ecuador and on the Galapagos Islands of San Cristobal, Isabela and Santa Cruz. A trip Ms. Milas says is “on any Biology teacher’s bucket list,” this journey at-tracted naturalists, birders and beach-lovers alike.

The opening days featured visits to the Botanical Gardens, the Mitad del Mundo Museum (bisected by the equator), and the 148 ft. high statue of the Virgen de El Panecillo in the capital city. Once the group landed in San Cristobal, they enjoyed snorkeling, bird-watching, hiking, and seeing en-demic species (found nowhere else in the world) for the first time on La Loberia beach, Playa Mann and Galapagos National Park. On the next island, Isabela, our travelers navigated through lava tunnels and viewed giant Galapagos tortoises at Primicias Ranch. This island visit also featured hikes to the breathtaking views of the caldera of the Sierra Negra Volcano and the wildlife at Las Tintoreras, including the Galapagos’ famous blue-

ECHS students visiting

Equator Park, in Quito,

Ecuador.

…the real defining joy

was seeing my students

soak it in, live it and

bask in it…Ms. Milas

“

EC Travel continued


footed boobies, frigate birds, pelicans, sea lions and the Galapagos penguin. Finally, in Santa Cruz, the group toured the Charles Darwin Research Station, the Twin Volcanos, and the seaside town of Puerto Ayora. For Maggie McGeary ’16, the trip proved to be “an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience,” highlighted by “swimming with sea turtles” and seeing over 40 species of birds, “while simultaneously using the Spanish I learned at East.” While Ms. Milas agreed seeing the “marvelous display” of nature on the Galapagos “was brilliant,” for her, “the real defining joy was seeing my students soak it in, live it and bask in it.” Ms. Milas’ thrill “to be immersed in the natural classroom of the Galapagos” was shared by every traveler on this unforgettable trip.

Closer to home, Social Studies teacher Ryan Healey immersed his students with the same enthusiasm in the historical classrooms of An-napolis and Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. Travelling over April break as well, Mr. Healey and Spanish teacher Mrs. Reilly accompanied ECHS students on a “tremendous trip” that “sparks interest” in history, politics, sports and even es-pionage, as Mr. Healey explains. On a trip where “we didn’t stop moving the whole time,” students enjoyed a tour of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, visited Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and even showed up on the Jumbotron at the Yankees-Orioles game at Camden Yards. In the capital city, students en-joyed a street-level view of the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the International Spy Museum and other landmarks. They even met up with Brian Bolduc ’06, who gave them a behind-the scenes look at the Ways and Means Committee at the Capitol Building. Noah Leonard ’16 valued “the real world embodiment of every lesson taught” in AP US History, and added the trip “made me feel like what Mrs. Ward would call ‘a student of history.’” For Mr. Healey, it was especially powerful to see “Brooke Massie ’15 find her grandfather’s name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.” He loved “seeing the kids open up” during the experience, one that surely opened their eyes to all the ways our culture and history stay alive.

Basilika St. Michael in Salzburg, Austria.


EC Travel continued

Students visited the ornate

neo-gothic town hall, Neues

Rathaus Glockenspiel in

Munich, Germany.


Sheep herder taking a rest on the

mountainside overlooking the city

of Quito, Ecuador. Elevation close to

9,000 feet above sea level.

“

“

…an incredible

once-in-a-lifetime

experience…Maggie McGeary

24 EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL24

SPECIAL REPORT

GRADUATIGRADUATI

25THE EAGLE FALL 2015 25

TION 2015TION 2015

50EAST CATHOLIC AT FIFTY

BY VIRGINIA LAFONTANA

On Thursday evening, June 4th, 183 new eagles received their wings at East Catholic High School’s fifty-first graduation exercises held at The

Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford. Archbishop Emeritus Henry J. Mansell presented diplomas to members of the Class of 2015 in a ceremony rich with tradition.

In a solemn procession led by faculty and twenty-three members of the Class of 1965, the soon-to-be-graduates filed into the cathedral to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.” The honored alumni of the first East Catholic class wore golden sashes on their robes, and at their reunion on October 17th, they will receive golden diplomas. Members of the current graduating class, like all fifty classes before them, were clad in the school colors, with boys in blue caps and gowns, and the girls in white. Forty-nine students wore the blue ribbon and insig-nia of the National Honor Society, one of many academic distinctions earned by members of the Class of 2015.

Graduates listened to an address delivered by Anne Mather Brzezicki, Director of Equitation Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, and East Catholic alumna, Class of 1968. Ms. Brzezicki spoke to the graduates about searching for

O


“ their unique gifts, those things for which they have a talent and a passion. She cited her own experience of defying stereotypes imposed upon girls in the 1960s to follow her passion for horses. Once having discerned their gifts, students were urged to put those gifts into action through work-ing hard and helping others. She spoke of the importance of enjoying what they do, learning from all their experiences, and being grateful to those who have helped them along the way.

In the final moments of the graduation cer-emony, the new graduates stood, reversed their tassels, and then—in a tradition dating back to 1965—turned to give their parents an enthusiastic round of applause in gratitude for their love and support. Following the applause, graduates were joined by faculty, parents, and guests in another fifty-year-old tradition: the singing of “East Catholic Blue and White.”

For members of the Class of 1965, the gradu-ation ceremony brought back memories of their own East Catholic days when they had the heady experience of helping to set the tone and tradi-tions of a brand new school. In doing so, they

were led and encouraged by East’s charismatic first principal, Father Charles E. Shaw. For many eighth-graders in 1961, their introduction to East Catholic came when Father Shaw visited local parishes to encourage them to attend the fledgling school. From its very earliest days, East has always been a family, and the creation of that spirit was due in no small part to the tireless efforts of Father Shaw. He made it a point to know all the students, and many stunned fresh-men were taken aback when the principal greeted them by name on their first day of school!

Father Shaw set high expectations for the students. He frequently reminded them that “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” and exhorted them to serve as good role models for younger students to follow. He insisted on re-spect for others and good sportsmanship, and any student who failed on either was subjected to a stern reprimand. He insisted that “East is best,” and the now-forgotten second verse of the school song reminds us that the phrase is more of a chal-lenge than a boast: (That cry from us that ‘East is best” has made us strain to grow.”)

…a chain

is only as

strong as

its weakest

link…

“ Reverend Charles E. Shaw,

First Principal ECHS

Members of the Class of 1965

processing with the Class of

2015 at the Cathedral of

St. Joseph in Hartford, CT.

Ben Oldham ’15 &

Chae Ren Kim ’15

Graduation 2015 continued


Michael AdantiKyle AjodhiRaymond AloskyBryan BalserCarly BarrettHanna BauerBriana BellamySteven BolgerWilliam BollashBenjamin BoscoJulia BrennanBrianne BresnahanDevon BrewerAsa BrigandiBrendan ByamMarissa CadieuxThomas CallahanKristin CancelliereGarrett CarlsonJessica CarreiroTrent CarriereArianna ChrisisRylee ClarkinNicole CohenPablo ColonConnor ConfortoKathryn ConnollySarah CotaStephanie CotaJustin CourtAlexa CustodioCarleigh DavisEmma DeGrandiJohn DeMartinoKailey DemersNicole DeRosaTiffany DiasJeffrey DionAmanda DokasMichael DormanCourtney DudzinskiCristianna DuvallHannah EvansOlivia EvansBethany FaulknerClay FeliceAlex FernezNoah FisherWilliam Fisher

Margaret FitzgeraldRebecca FitzgeraldJames FitzPatrickBrandon FournierBrandon FoxHannah FrancolineLogan FrenchDanica FromerthNatalie FulcoAlissa GandiagaAmanda GarrepySydney GeddisTristan GervaisDelaney Gibbons

Angela GilibertoKeegan GothersLogan GreeneOlivia GrilloJillian HayesLandon HerrAlex HillCraig HlavatyJuliana HolcombGeoffrey HorvathEsha HoseinBrendan HowroydChristopher JagelRyan KarabetsosMikayla KelleyTyler KielyChae Rin KimNatalie KopiecLauren KumnickPeter LachcikJohn LambertMacie LamontagneHannah LarsonJonathan LeBlancJill LehmannXiamu LiIsaiah LikelyAdam MachadoEric Maldonado

Alexander MannerSarah MarekJacqueline MargaglioneAelan MarshallConor MaselliGrace MazzarellaJake McCarthyStephanie McGillivrayHailey McKeeverSeamus McKeeverJames MelloNicholas MendozaNicole MicolettiKatherine Miller

Ilaria MonteleoneElizabeth MooreBrandon MoreauBlake MullenLee MunsonJoseph MurphySteven MurrayAlyssa NadeauChelsea NelisJaysen NunezJillian O’ConnellEvan O’ConnorBenjamin OldhamSarah OuelletteJackson PalauskasAllissa ParkerCecilia ParlaShannon PelletierMadison PerriolatJohn Peters IISamantha PineoMichael PirroMichael PiskorzTashai PriceLily RainvilleRuben RamirezPatrick RamseyRyan ReganStephanie Regan

Ruiyi RenBrendan ReynoldsJacob RichardLogan RichardelloKarl RobertsApril Dawn SalvatoreSasean SandersJack SanfordEmily SargentMadison SarraAlex SchallerLuke SchroederBenjamin SchwendyAlexandra SegarAlexa SmithTravis SmithYounggwang SonAnna SternRebekah StrandAndrew StuttsKhaled SuedeDianna TedfordBenjamin TeerlinckTracey ThonakkaraparayilMaile ThongsythavongKyle ToceLuke TownsendJohn TrainorRory TwomeyAlaina Van SlootenChristopher VandenburghLindsay VeilleuxLauren ViguePatrick VillandryThomas WadhamsDaniel WaungCaylee WhitakerBrooke WhiteDylan WiafeJillian WieczorekAlexander WingAlexa WisnieskiTimothy WolpertDavid WuHye Rin YimCorinne ZazzaroJoshua ZbierskiYingxi Zhang

EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLCLASS OF 2015


“ “

The discipline was strict, but those in the first class report that it was an exciting time to be an Eagle. Everything was new, even the school crest with its motto taken from Mary’s words at the wedding feast of Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.” The first class helped to select a mascot, name the school publications, and establish tradi-tions, most of which are still observed. It was the Class of 1965, for example, that first chose a Mar-ian title to be represented on a shield mounted on the brick wall of staircase B. School spirit was very strong. At the conclusion of every basketball or football game, whether or not East Catholic had won, students sang the school song.

For the 300 or so timid freshmen who en-tered East in September 1961, the building itself seemed cavernous. Alumni recall having most of their classes on the second floor for the first year or two. The present guidance office housed the home economics lab, but that program was discontinued shortly after the school opened. The annex, of course, was not used for academic purposes in those days because it was the convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who staffed the school. In addition to the nuns, East Catholic faculty in its first year included several laymen, and one lay female teacher, who taught girls’ physical education.

Those who reminisce about their days at East Catholic in the 1960s have, in general, fond memories, but it was not a utopia. In that era, opportunities for girls were limited, and East re-flected the times. Eligibility for class and Student Council offices was determined by gender; boys served as president and treasurer, girls as vice president and secretary. Extracurricular activities were very limited by today’s standards, especially for girls. An athletically-inclined girl could try out for cheerleaders, majorettes, drill team, or field hockey. Male athletes had intramural sports, base-ball, basketball, football, golf, and cross-country. Among the limited number of clubs available to all students were the glee club, the sodality, the drama club, and the journalism club.

So what has changed, and what has stayed the same? The first similarity that alumni of any era notice is the school building itself. Despite its age, and despite the fact that many sections of the building have been repurposed, graduates are often surprised that East Catholic still looks new! The second likeness is the academic program. East still focuses on a rigorous college-prep cur-riculum, but with far more electives and extracur-ricular activities than were available in the 1960s. Academic standards are still high, although the school no longer considers any grade below 70 a failure. Students still wear uniforms, but the navy polo shirt and khaki pants or skorts are much less formal than the blue blazers and plaid skirts worn by the girls in the past, and the jackets and ties by the boys. Parents still pay tuition, although most of them would love to receive the bill sent out to parents in 1964: thirty-five dollars due each quarter!

Above all, the similarity that most impresses alumni is that intangible spirit that is East Catholic. Described sometimes as school spirit, sometimes as family atmosphere, it’s a sense of community, of belonging to a very special institution.

(Note: The author would like to thank those East Catholic alumni who shared their reminis-cences: Tom Malin, Kathie Lodge, Marie Schaust-er, and Corinne Wandy of the Class of 1965, and Anne Brzezicki of the Class of 1968.)

…so what has

changed, and what

has stayed the

same?…

Geoffrey Horvath ’15 Senior

Class Vice President giving

welcome remarks at

Graduation.

ECHS Class of 2015 Kyle Toce, Alexander Wing, Blake Mullen and Rory Twomey.



SUMMA SCHOLARSEast Catholic students who were named as Superintendent’s Summa Scholars for achieving a GPA level of 4.3 or higher.

NOMINATED STUDENT TEACHER HONOREE

Grace R. Mazzarella Judy Landry

Garrett M. Carlson Paul Hammer

Tiffany A. Dias Ann Marie Ward

Alex D. Fernez Sarah Poirier

Benjamin Schwendy Scott Scorso

Alaina Van Slooten Sarah Poirier

John J. DeMartino David Brudz

Juliana M. Holcomb David Brudz

Nicole L. Cohen Lisa Kirsche

ECHS Graduates Class of 2015 William

Bollash, Hannah Francoline, Mikayla

Kelley and Andrew Stutts.

ECHS Class of 2015 Devon Brewer, Juliana Holcomb,

Tiffany Dias and Esha Hosein.

Tracey Thonakkaraparayil ’15 receiving her diploma from Archbishop Henry J. Mansell

with ECHS Vice Principal Elena Gostic.


Class of 1965Class of 1965



Members of the Class of 1965 celebrating 50 years since the first graduation at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, CT were given golden sashes to commemorate the occasion. From left to right: Tom Malin, Gary Cass, Anna Pinto, Delia Lupacchino Skrainski, Joe Wehr, Ann Zatkowski Matre, Gary Matre, Kathie Giorgio Lodge, Bill Troy, Kathleen Sullivan, Jim Cullen, Cheryl St. Cyr Bellisle, Larry Serreto, Penelope Sousa Auer, Tom Lodge, Pat Rook Wehr, Patricia Byrnes, Richard Auer, Irene Martin Sullivan, Mike Wheeler and Corinne Pecor Wandy.


ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68

Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68 getting ready to teach a riding lesson.


“ “ When Anne Mather Brzezicki entered East Catholic High School as a freshman in the fall of 1964, it was the first time in

the fledgling school’s three-year history that there were all four classes under its roof at the same time. It was while she was at East that Anne dis-covered the passion that was to become her career. Currently the Director of Equitation Programs at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfrees-boro, Tennessee, Anne first developed her love of horses through a friendship with her classmate, Janet Torpey. While the two girls were still attend-ing grade school at St. Mary’s in East Hartford, Janet had encouraged Anne to ride. Later, when Janet died of cancer during her sophomore year at East, Anne decided to make a career of riding and training horses in honor of her late friend.

After graduating from East Catholic, Anne went to the University of Connecticut and received

her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 1972. While at the university, she participated as rider and co-coach on the UCONN National Champion Hunter Seat Team in 1972. That year, she was also named Equita-tion Champion, UCONN Little International, and received the Garrigus Award for Outstanding

Animal Science Senior. More recently, Anne was named Outstanding Alumna of UCONN’s College of Agriculture.

During Anne’s tenure at Middle Tennessee State University, she has helped coach seventeen national champions in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). She has also coached winners in other associations, including the Ameri-can Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), in ad-

dition to managing four IHSA National Champion-ship Shows. She has coached several National High Point and World Champion riders in Equitation over Fences, Equitation on the Flat, and Working Hunter and Jumpers, and she has also coached one All Around Amateur at an AQHA World Champi-onship Show. Anne has trained and shown many horses to national high point list status. She is frequently quoted as an expert opinion in many horse publications nationwide.

While at Middle Tennessee State University, Anne was instrumental in administering a new Masters of Science program in Horse Science with a concentration in Education. According to Anne, “We saw a need for additional education to support some underserved areas of the horse industry. So in addition to some of the normal Masters concen-trations in nutrition, exercise physiology and other horse sciences, we offer an industry option and an education option. These allow our grad students to gain additional preparation for jobs preferring a Masters such as teaching horsemanship in colleges, agricultural extension positions and corporate and association work.”

Anne and Michael, her husband of forty-two years, reside in Murfreesboro, TN.

her Brzezicki ’68her Brzezicki ’682015 Graduation Speaker

…Anne decided to

make a career of

riding and training

horses in honor of her

late friend…

Anne Mather Brzezicki at the 2013 IHSA Western Semi Final Championship.

W

Anne Mather

Brzezicki ’68

BY VIRGINIA LAFONTANA


Graduates with A

Alex Schaller ’15, Felicia Farr Schaller ’81, Alex Fernez ’15, Virginia Dubaldo Fernez ’80

Sherry Krause Duvall ’91 & Christianna Duvall ’15

David Fournier ’80 & Brandon Fournier ’15

Billy Bollash ’15 & Mary Georgiades Bollash ’80

Samantha Pineo ’15 & Todd Pineo ’85

Tracy Tobeler French ’87, Logan French ’15, Karen Mador Regan ’85, Ryan Regan ’15, Michael Byam ’83, Brendan Byam ’15

Nancy Donlon Brennan ’74, Julia Brennan ’15, Geoffrey Horvath ’15, Len Horvath ’67

Ben Schwendy ’15 & Susan O’Neill Schwendy ’88

Mark Fulco ’80 & Natalie Fulco ’15

John DeMartino ’15 & Darren DeMartino ’83

Christine Whaples Kiely ’82, Tyler Kiely ’15, Christina Frese Jagel ’82, Christopher Jagel ’15, Denise White Toce ’82, Kyle Toce ’15

35THE EAGLE FALL 2015 35

h Alumni Family

Angela Giliberto ’15 & Emilio Giliberto ’82

William Chip Sander III ’76, Lisa Sander Hlavaty ’80, Craig Hlavaty ’15, Ariel Hlavaty ’13, David Sander ’86

Tristan Gervais ’15 & Dale Gervais ’87

Elizabeth O’Brien Hill ’88 & Alex Hill ’15

John Wieczorek ’78 & Jillian Wieczorek ’15

Brian McKeever ’75, Seamus McKeever ’15, Madison McKeever ’12, Lise Engelbrecht McKeever ’75 Janice Boser Parla ’82 , Cecilia Parla ’15

& John Parla ’79 Lily Rainville ’15 & Rosemary Viola Rainville ’77

Patricia Evans Murphy ’87 & Joseph Murphy ’15

Emily Sargent ’15 & Mary-Pat Flynn Sargent ’81

Caroline Murphy Segar ’80 & Alexandra Segar ’15

WED

DIN

GS

ALUMNI NEWS


1965JUDY ALLEN WILSON ’65 resides in Pasadena, CA with her husband Randy. This past year on a trip back to CT, she had the opportunity to visit with former classmate ART LAMONTAGNE ’65 and his wife Jan. Judy also traveled to London in October and visited with WESLEY GRYK ’67. Neither had seen each other since 1965! Wes has his own law firm, Gryk Law, based in London. While at East Catholic, Judy was Editor-in-Chief of the ECHO, and Wes Gryk was the second page edi-tor. Judy retired from her public service career in 2003 and opened a consulting business dealing with transportation and water issues. In 2011 Judy closed her of-fice thinking she was retired only to start a new career in the non-profit world. She is currently the Director of Development for the Pasadena Community Foundation.

1966SHELEEN QUISH ’66, sister of PETER QUISH ’69 and the late MIKE QUISH ’68 and TIM QUISH ’72, was married to Dr.

Jack Anstandig on June 20, 2015 at their home in Las Vegas. Dr. Anstan-dig is the owner/operator of Body-LogicMD of Las Vegas which is a practice dedicated

to health and wellness. Sheleen retired from Ameristar Casinos, Inc. where she was SVP of HR and IT as well as the Chief Integration Officer for Ameristar through its merger with Pinnacle Entertainment. The couple has four children and three grandchildren between them. Sheleen was recently named to the Board of Direc-tors of Goodwill of Southern Nevada.

DONNA GEMME BROOTEN ’67 recently finished a quilting project that captured her life’s timeline. Her squares include being born in CT, graduating from ECHS, followed by attending Stonehill College. Then onto Peapack-Gladstone, NJ where she and her husband of 36 years, Rick Brooten, raised their family. Their chil-dren participated in baseball and soccer, and they enjoyed vacations to Cape Cod, MA. Finally she captured her children’s schools in the quilt. For Donna they are memories of a lifetime.

1990ANNE MANNION had a chance to catch up with TODD SEAVER ’90 while visiting San Francisco this past February. Todd is an attorney in the Bay area and also a winemaker who produces VIE wines using California grapes. Wines are available at the VIE Wine Room in San Francisco or also on line at www.viewinery.com. Vie comes from the Old French word mean-

ing “to invite” or “to give occasion for”. Or, in French today, it is simply translated “Life”. Make an occa-sion to enjoy Vie with friends. Enjoy Vie! Enjoy Life!

2000BRIAN P. DYER ’00 was promoted to the rank of detective with the Providence Police Department in Providence, RI on December 7, 2014. Dyer joined the Providence Police Department in 2007 and was previously assigned as an officer in its patrol division. A former resident of Manchester, CT, he had previously served as a police officer in Montville, CT. After graduating from East Catho-lic, Dyer received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Providence College in 2004 and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the Metropolitan College of Boston University in 2014. He is also a graduate of the Connecticut Municipal Police Academy and the Providence Police Academy. Dyer resides in Warwick, Rhode Island with his wife Kaleen.

2008VICTORIA DAVID ’08 graduated from Northern Arizona University in May of 2014 with a double major in Biomedical Science and Chemistry. She is currently employed by the Translational Genomic Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix as a research associate. Victoria is doing cutting edge research in proteomics and recently presented her first poster at the HUPO Conference.

Victoria David ’08 at the HUPO Conference.

WED

DIN

GS

1994ANN BIANCA CAREY ’94 was married to Bob Kephart on July 3, 2014 at the Endicott Estate in Dedham, MA. Bob is an artist who trained in Calgary and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Bob currently works in digital media at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. After graduating from Hamilton College, Ann received a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania. Ann works at Harvard Business School, organizing conferences and other academic programs for alumni. The couple resides in an historic 211 year old former sea captain’s house in Braintree, MA.

2006CHRISTOPHER PELLETIER ’06 and ELIZABETH DIDAN ’07 were married on December 20, 2014. Chris and Liz both graduated from UCONN in 2011. Liz received her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Chris received his B.S.E. in Engineering Physics. Liz continued her education at East Carolina University in North Carolina and received her B.S. in Nursing. Liz is employed at Vidant Medi-cal Center in the cardiac intenstive care unit as a staff nurse. Chris graduated from East Carolina University in 2013 with a M.S. in Medical Physics and is currently working on his Ph.D in Biomedical Physics. They reside in Greenville, NC.

ALUMNI NEWS


2011/12ECHS alums from 2011 & 2012 volunteered for the JORDAN MATTHEW PORCO ’10 Foundation Fresh Check Day at Providence College this past April. In the photo are DANNY DEFILIPPO ’11, CHRISTINA LIN ’12, SHANNON MOONEY ’12 and MIKE SCANLON ’11 along with other volun-teers. Missing from the photo is MICHAEL HANNIGAN-PENDA ’10.

SAVANNAH QUENTAL ’11 & CARRIE WALLACE ’11 have been named as Fulbright Scholars for 2015-2016. Savannah will be heading to Argentina. Carrie will be heading to Thailand. Both will be working as English Teaching Assistants and performing volun-teer work. Savannah graduated this past May from Georgetown University with a degree in Interna-tional Business. Carrie graduated this past May from George Washington University with a degree in Hu-man Services and Social Justice. Both women met fresh-man year at East Catholic and have been best friends ever since.

Sarah Rowe ’94, John Carey (retired ECHS Religion Teacher and father of the

bride), Ann Carey Kephart ’94, Bob Kephart, Chris Joseph ’94, Charity Tabol ’94

and Adair Rommel ’94.

Anna Pelletier ’81, Rosanna Gramugulia ’79, Linda Engley ’82, Emilio Giliberto ’82,

Angela Giliberto ’15, Patricia Gramuglia ’83, Ann Brewster Gramuglia’94 and Frank

Gramuglia ’94, Nicole O’Connor ’07, David O’Connor ’10, Karen FitzGerald Barry ’02 and

Jack Barry ’97, Erin McFee ’03, Carolyn McFee Conant ’05 and Meghan McFee ’07.

From left to right Carrie

Wallace ’11 and Savannah

Quental ’11 in Washing-

ton, D.C.

ALUMNI NEWS


2012JENNIFER O’BRIEN ’12 is attending UCONN and was accepted this past spring into the Neag School of Educa-tion’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program for Elementary Education with a concentration in Science. She will complete her Bachelor’s degree in May 2017 and her Master’s degree in 2018. Currently she is working with the Mans-field School System as a paraprofessional and getting hands-on experience in the field. Jennifer will also be working as an American Sign Language teacher’s as-sistant (TA). Jennifer will be working in an American Sign Language level 1 class at UCONN as a communication facilita-tor, acting as an interpreter between the teacher and the students. In her spare time, Jennifer will also be teaching 5th grade Religious Education at St. Mat-thew’s Church in Tolland, CT.

2013MARYELIZABETH HENDERSON ’13 has declared a Biological Sciences major with a concentration in Microbiology and a minor in Chemistry at the University of South Carolina. She is currently in the preparatory stages of competing for a Naval ROTC Scholarship for graduate school. It is her hope to commission into the United States Navy upon graduation as an officer with the Military Occupational Specialty of Microbiology in the health care sciences department.

2014VICTORIA HALLISEY ’14 is studying at Providence College. She recently at-tended the ASBMB conference (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) in Boston and presented her research with her lab team on a protein, Bax Inhibitor 1, that contributes to tumor growth, and is the cause of many cancers.

ECHS Athletic Director, Tom Malin

’65 & Allyson Fournier ’11.

ALLYSON FOURNIER ’11 was named the Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year at the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance 74th Gold Key Dinner on April 26th at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, CT. After East Catholic, Allyson continued her softball career at Tufts University. In Allyson’s senior year at East Catholic she struck out 353 batters in 160 innings with a 0.26 earned run average while leading the Eagles to the Class M semifinals. While at Tufts, she led the Jumbos to their first national title in 2013, and topped that last season with a 28-1 mark, a 0.49 ERA and 314 strikeouts. Entering her senior year at Tufts, she amassed a career record of 76-5, walking 82 batters while striking out 893 in 533 innings. She has 11 no-hitters to her credit, including 6 perfect games.


Eagle Deceased 12/06/14 – 6/20/15

*with apologies, previously missed

ALUMNI

*GAIL M. LEHAN-STERN ’70, sister

of James Lehan ’72 & Paul Lehan

’74; died 6/20/14

*DONALD NELSON, father of Jennie

Nelson Morrell ’84, Amy Nelson

Carey ’86, and Matthew Nelson

’89; died 7/23/14

DENNIS DUCHESNEAU ’70,

husband of Jacqueline Boucher

Duchesneau ’70 and brother of

Gary Duchesneau ’65; died 12/6/14

JOHN FERRUOLO, JR. ’76, brother

of Greg Ferruolo ’78 and Paul Fer-

ruolo ’82; died 1/9/15

THOMAS NOONE ’69, brother of

Steven Noone ’77; died 1/12/15

CHRISTINE ANN SHEA RIORDAN

’77, sister of Martin Shea ’75; died

2/9/15

MAUREEN TIMONEY ’65; died

3/8/15

SUSAN VASKO LASSEN ’70; died

3/16/15

STEPHEN TOSTI ’79, brother of

James Tosti ’77 and Patricia Tosti

’87; died 4/23/15

KEVIN PATRICK HURST ’78, brother

of Patricia Hurst Bascom ’76,

Thomas Hurst ’80 and Luciann

Hurst Norton ’81; died 5/13/15

DINA IRENE HERDLEIN ’89; died

6/20/15

FORMER FACULTY/STAFF

REVEREND PETER DARGAN; died

4/7/15

JOHN EDWARD WITHAM; died

5/19/15

FAMILY OF ALUMNI

*SYLVIA LEARY, mother of Peter

Leary ’68, Bernadette Leary Skeld-

ing ’72 and J. William Leary ’77;

died 1/8/14

*MARY ELLEN PRUCKER, mother of

Michael Prucker ’67; died 4/8/14

*GRACINDA DE JESUS OLIVEIRA,

grandmother of Margaret Oliveira

’90, Jennifer Oliveira ’94, Paul Mil-

heiro ’94, Marco Milheiro ’98 and

Daniel Oliveira ’99; died 7/3/14

*RICHARD MARZIALO, brother of

Michael Marzialo ’73, Mary Mar-

zialo Fowler ’76, Marc Marzialo ’80

and Adeline Marzialo ’87; uncle of

Susan Uppling ’08 and Zachary

Uppling ’08; died 11/15/14

*DOMINIC MARANDINO, grandfa-

ther of Christina Marandino Yester

’04, Andrea Marandino ’06, Domi-

nic Marandino, III ’09, and Lauren

Marandino ’13; died 12/2/14

JOSEPHINE HOGAN, mother of

Patricia Hogan ’66, Marybeth

Hogan ’71 and James Hogan ’76;

died 1/2/15

ELIZABETH DARGARTI, mother of

James Dargati ’84; died 1/4/15

RICHARD VELTRI, grandfather of

Emily Szemreylo ’16 and Katlin

Szemreylo ’16; died 1/4/15

ANDREW ANSALDI, husband of

Anne Arruda Ansaldi ’75; father of

Andrew Ansaldi ’81, Adam Ansaldi

’84, Amoree Ansaldi Casey ’86,

Aaron Ansaldi ’88, Alex Ansaldi

’91; and grandfather of Alexandra

Ansaldi ’18; died 1/5/15

DIANE MORRA, mother of Joseph

Morra ’83, Rhonda Morra ’84 and

Dawn Morra McClintock ’85; died

1/6/15

BARBARA BACKUS, mother of

Barbara Backus Pitera ’68, Patricia

Backus ’71 and Walter Backus ’74;

died 1/9/15

ANNIE LEIGHTON, grandmother

of Ethan Leighton ’92, Elizabeth

Leighton ’95 and Megan Zeppa

Healy ’00; died 1/11/15

THOMAS LYNCH, father of Brian

Lynch ’86, Jean Lynch ’88, Kevin

Lynch ’89 and Michael Lynch ’99;

died 1/11/15

MARGARET ANDREO, mother of

Loren Andreo ’72, Michael Andreo

’72, Mary Andreo Randazzo ’73,

Karen Andreo Marandino ’75, John

Andreo ’78, Ann Andreo Brazel

’79 and grandmother of Christina

Marandino ’04, John Andreo, Jr.

’05, Dana Andreo ’06, Katherine

Brazel ’06, Andrea Marandino ’06,

Jennifer Andreo ’07, Margaret

Randazzo ’07, Nicholas Andreo

’08, Christie Andreo ’09, Dominic

Marandino III ’09, Patrick Brazel

’10, Lauren Marandino ’13 and

Jacalyn Andreo ’14; died 1/13/15

JOHN TRAYNOR, father of William

Traynor ’77 and John Traynor ’83;

died 1/13/15

MARY VERNILE, mother of Francis

Vernile ’66 and grandmother of

Sarah Vernile Williams ’97 and

Heather Vernile ’99; died 1/18/15

FRED ANDREOLI, grandfather of

Emma Andreoli ’97 and Marco

Andreoli ’01; died 1/21/15

H. JOHN MALONE, father of Meg

Malone Quish ’69, Sean Malone ’71,

Jennifer Malone Healy ’73, Laura

Malone Loftus ’75, Christopher

Malone ’78, Prudence Malone

Lange ’79 and grandfather of Bai-

ley Malone ’05 and Chad Malone

’08; died 1/23/15

JEANNE ZADROGA, grandmother

of Amy-Erin Zadroga ’17; died

1/26/15

MARY LOU TAYLOR, mother of

Deborah Taylor Duarte ’71; died

1/27/15

PATRICIA PERRY, mother of

Roseann Kotulski Schoen ’71 and

Susanne Kotulski Labrie ’73; died

1/28/15

MARJORIE LEONE, grandmother

of Marisa Leone ’97 and Vanessa

Leone ’99; died 2/1/15

ELWIN ROY FARNHAM, father of

Dana Farnham ’69 and Shelley

Farnham Hilber ’73; died 2/15/15

MARY CULLETON, mother of

Noreen Culleton Botticello ’71,

Patricia Culleton Thomas ’74 and

Colleen Culleton Canny ’84, and

grandmother of Michael Botticello

’98, Brendan Thomas ’09, Amanda

Botticello Nyez ’91 and Bridget Bot-

ticello Blake ’93; died 2/26/15

PETER KIRO, father of Peter Kiro

’80 and Timothy Kiro ’83 and

grandfather of Matthew Kiro ’18;

died 2/26/15

SANTO VITO SUSCA, grandfather

of Jennifer Susca ’14; died 2/28/15

ELEANOR MAE FOLEY, mother of

Brian Foley ’76; died 3/2/15.

PATRICIA GAGNON, mother of

Mark Gagnon ’81 and grand-

mother of Peter Lonergan ’14; died

3/2/15

BETTY REIN, grandmother of An-

drew Rein ’03, Megan Rein Mindek

’05, Maria Rein ’07, and Anthony

Rein ’16; died 3/17/15

WILBUR MESSIER, father of Mary

Messier Wrinn ’75, Thomas Messier

’78 and Susan Messier Holland ’81;

died 3/18/15

LORETTA PADEGIMAS, grandmoth-

er of Jennifer Padegimas Karchich

’95, Alex Hill ’05 and Spencer Hill

’07; died 3/22/15

VERNA CHENEY, grandmother of

Jonathan Ockert ’14, Amelia Ockert

’17 and Benjamin Ockert ’18; died

3/24/15

VALARIA BAYLES, mother of

Edward Bayles ’69, Michael Bayles

’71, Sandra Bayles Van Derscoff ’73,

Debra Bayles Badstuebner ’77, and

Scott Bayles ’80; died 4/9/15

ROBERT CHERVENAK, father of

Bryan Chervenak ’90 and Nicole

Chervenak Ketchan ’93; died

4/13/15

CHARLES CAMPBELL, father of

Anne Campbell-Maxwell ’66,

Claire Campbell ’69, Marybeth

Campbell Heath ’74, and grand-

father of Richard Maxwell ’99 and

Danielle Abran Bloom ’94 and

great-grandfather of E.J. Wilson

’19; died 4/23/15

LORRAINE MURPHY WEIL, mother

of Ronald Weil ’91; died 4/26/15

MARY THERESA DELGAUDIO;

mother of Steven DelGaudio ’69

and Robert DelGaudio ’79; died

4/27/15

LINDA MARY SENSENEY, mother of

Scott Senseney ’89; died 4/28/15

MILDRED WHALEN, mother of

Kathleen Whalen Dyer ’68, Richard

Whalen ’71 and grandmother of

Brian Dyer ’00 and Michael Dyer

’03; died 5/2/15

JEAN MIRUCKI, mother of Matthew

Mirucki ’85; died 5/7/15

FRED LEONE SR., grandfather of

Marisa Leone ’97 and Vanessa

Leone ’99; died 5/24/15

In MEMORY


eastcommunity

Eagle Invitational Golf Tournament is a hit!

The 25th Annual Tom Malin Eagle Invitational Golf Tournament took place at Blackledge Country Club in He-bron on Friday, June 12th. Two hundred and eighteen golfers

supported the event with a portion of the proceeds to benefit an East Catholic scholarship in memory of John Wholley ’71. Prizes included a mattress and box spring set donated by CT Mattress, Eagles

concert tickets for their show at the XL Center in Hartford, Jets tickets, Yankees tickets and more. Over $30,000 was raised from this event.

E A G L E I N V I T A T I O N A L

Golf Tournament

TOM MALIN

To benefit East Catholic High School

T W E N T Y F I F T H A N N U A L

E A G L EE A G L E

Members of the Wholley Family along

with former ECHS Athletic Director and

Football Coach - Cliff Demers.

Taste of East Catholic

John Wholley

This year’s Taste of East is

Saturday, April 2, 2016

In March, East Catholic held its annual spring fundraiser “A Taste of East Catho-lic.” This event featured 14 local area restaurants and food service providers, including A Villa Louisa, CW’s Chops ‘n’

Catch, Ellington Ridge Country Club, Elmo’s Dockside, Highland Park Mar-ket, Hilton Hartford, The Main Pub, Manchester Country Club, Marco Polo Ristorante, Mulberry Street,

Munson’s Chocolates, Navin Brothers Food Ser-vice, The Red Cabin and Shady Glen Dairy Stores. The

event featured silent

and live auctions, and close to $35,000 was raised in support of programs and services at the school.

St

ag

e E

as

t P

re

se

nt

s

CALL EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOR MORE INFORMATION AT 860-649-5336

TICKETS SOLDAT THE DOOR$7 Students$10 ADULTS

115 New State RoadManchester, CT

7pm

e c h s . c o m

Jean

Ano

uilh

’s A

dapt

atio

n of

Sop

hocl

es’ t

rage

dy

T

he

Jere

my

Sa

ms

Tra

nsl

ati

on

October 23 & 24

ANTI

GONE


EAGLE FALL 2015 CALENDAR

NON PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARTFORD, CT

PERMIT NO. 5224

Change Service Requested

High SchoolEast Catholic

115 New State Road Manchester, CT 06042-1820 www.echs.com

September 26, 2015 Class of 1970 45th Reunion Georgina’s Restaurant, Bolton

September 28, 2015 Start of Spirit Week

October 2, 2015 Walk-a-thon 11:30 AM Homecoming Football Game

October 3, 2015 Homecoming Dance October 17, 2015 Class of 1965 50th Reunion Hilton Hartford, Hartford Class of 1975 40th Reunion Adams Mill Restaurant, Manchester Class of 1980 35th Reunion Hilton Hartford, Hartford

October 23 & 24, 2015 Drama Production: Antigone by Jean Anouilh 7:00 PM

November 1, 2015 Mass for Deceased 2:00 PM

November 5, 2014 Open House 6:45 PM to 8:30 PM

November 13, 2015 “A Night at the Sock Hop,” Music and Theatre Department 7:00 PM

November 14, 2015 Entrance Exam 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

November 27, 2015 Class of 1985 30th Reunion Glastonbury Hills Country Club, Glastonbury Class of 1995 20th Reunion Chops ‘n’ Catch, Manchester Class of 2000 15th Reunion City Steam Brewery Café, Hartford Class of 2005 10th Reunion City Steam Brewery Café, Hartford

November 28, 2015 Class of 1990 25th Reunion Glastonbury Hills Country Club, Glastonbury Class of 2010 5th Reunion Shea’s American Bar and Grill, Manchester

December 5, 2015 Entrance Exam 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

December 10, 2015 Holly Social 5:00 PM/Art Show 6:00 PM/Christmas Concert 7:00 PM

For a complete calendar listing, visit www.echs.com/calendar

Documents

DocHdl1OnPREPRESSMGRtmpTarget Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68 was our distinguished speaker at graduation this year. An accomplished eques-trian, Anne coached many local and national