East Catholic High School

Transcription

Eagle
T H E
FALL 2015
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:
Anne Mather
Brzezicki ’68
ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Vol. 26 Issue 2
FAITH & SERVICE:
Mission Trips
ATHLETICS:
Varsity Coaches
Honored
SPECIAL REPORT
Graduation 2015
East Catholic
High School
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The East Experience
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 education 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 technology 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 synthetic turf. If you know of someone who is seeking a great high school experience
filled with achievement, purpose and belonging, tell them about East.
Open House
Thursday, November 5,
Our next
will be
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
receiving multiple awards.
www.echs.com
$13.5 million, many
CONTENTS
14
24
FAITH & SERVICE
Mission Trips
SPECIAL REPORT
Graduation 2015
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 muchread 1960 classic, To Kill a Mockingbird.
The 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
18
EC TRAVEL
Galapagos Islands,
Austria/Germany, and D.C.
32
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68
The Eagle is published twice a year by East
Catholic High School. News and alumni notes
should be sent to:
115 New State Road
Manchester, CT 06042
[email protected]
860-649-5336
DEPARTMENTS
East Catholic High School Administration
Jason Hartling - Principal and Chief Administrator
Letter from the Principal..........................................................2
Elena Gostic - Vice Principal
East Academics....................................................................... 4
Thomas Maynard - Vice Principal
Susan Perillo - Vice Principal
East Arts...................................................................................7
East Athletics.......................................................................... 10
Alumni News..........................................................................36
In Memory..............................................................................39
East Community......................................................................40
On the cover: East Catholic travels to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
East Catholic
High School
www.echs.com
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Jason Hartling
East now has a new
equestrian team.
2
This past June East Catholic
celebrated our annual commencement at the Cathedral
of St. Joseph in Hartford. The
class of 2015 was joined in
procession by members of the
Class of 1965 who donned
golden 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 milestones of our faculty, students and alumni.
Alumna Anne Mather
Brzezicki ’68 was our
distinguished speaker at
graduation this year. An
accomplished equestrian, Anne coached
many local and national
champions and is the
Director of Equitation
Programs at Middle
Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, 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 prowess now extends to horseback.
EAST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
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 happening at East. Despite our storied history, our
accomplished alumni and our students’ success,
some families may need your help in connecting
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 Catholic 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,
East Catholic’s annual Pink Out
baseball game against
Manchester High School took
place on Wednesday, May 6th.
Jason “Jay” Hartling,
Principal and Chief Administrator
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
3
eastacademics
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 competitive group the Yale
Young Global Scholars Program has ever
Thuyen Truong
received, representing over 110 different
countries and all 50 states. The applicants
selected to participate represent an extraordinary 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 Raymond Hurley, SND (45 years).
4
Brandon Narciso
Erik Renner
Sara Hohenthal
Alexis Barselau
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 community 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 collected 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 community service by various agencies, including 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 instrumental 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 Reading section of the SAT test on her first time
taking the exam this
spring.
Genevieve is
involved in the music
program at East Catholic and is a member of
the Women’s Choir,
Genevieve Fritsch
Chamber Choir,
Liturgical Choir and
Concert Choir at the school. She also
helps tutor 6th through 8th grade students in Manchester and is an assistant
CCD teacher at St. Matthew’s Church in
Tolland, CT.
BY LISA PUTNAM
KIRSCHE ’86
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.
Archbishop Henry J. O’Brien Scholars for 2015
E
East Catholic High School is
proud to announce the Archbishop 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 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A founding
member of the ECHS Robotics team,
he also was a member of the Engineering 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 newspaper, 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 TriM 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 University 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 Engineering 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 Robotics team and a founding member of the
History Bowl team, Alex was also a member 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 Williams College. Grace was a member of the
2013 State Championship History Bowl
State Championship team and was instrumental in bringing East Catholic’s day of
service program “Feeding Children Everywhere” 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 participated in student government at East Catholic 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.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
5
ON CAMPU
East Academics continued
East Catholic Engineering Team
A
BY LISA PUTNAM KIRSCHE ’86
veteran Physics teacher with
where they could offer useful assistance.
ally changes people’s lives.” When Robert
decades of experience, Ms. Sue
Client Robert Noll, who has been blind since
uses it, he works more accurately, efficiently
Fennelly has been mentoring aspiring
birth and also has a cognitive disability,
and independently, as proven by data taken
engineers in the competition now known as
became the inspiration for team captain
by the team. The R.U.D. so impressed the
the SourceAmerica Design Challenge for over
Gabe Buenrostro ’16, Garrett Carlson ’15, John
competition’s judges that they selected the
20 years. Yet this past school year, she found
DiLoreto ’16, Emma Dolen ’16 and Alex Fernez
team as one of five national finalists.
inspiration for it on her first faculty training
’15. With Jon Sargent, father of Emily Sargent
With Robert, Principal Hartling, Ms. Fenday, when East Catholic teachers visited local
’15, joining as official coach, the team was
nelly and Mr. Sargent, the students arrived
non-profit organization MARC, Inc. “The
ready to work.
in our nation’s capital. On the first day, the
interesting thing is,” she explains, “when
Over the next several months, the team
team gave a 20 minute presentation, includI went on teacher orientation to MARC, I
created progressively sophisticated versions
ing a brief question-and-answer session
realized it would be a great partnership” to
of “Robert’s U-bolt Device,” or the R.U.D.,
with judges, and set up their display. The
develop for the contest, and
next day, the group met with CT
her instincts proved right. Six
Representative Joe Courtney, enmonths later, from February
joyed a tour of the city organized
23 - 25, 2015, the East Catholic
by CT Representative John Larson,
Engineering Team earned
and attended a SourceAmerica
fourth place in the National
reception. The third day featured
Finals of the SourceAmerica
additional team presentations
Design Challenge in Washingand interviews, a keynote speech
ton, D.C.
and the award ceremony. With
While she is quick to credit
its fourth place finish, the East
the students and other adults
Catholic Engineering Team
involved, Ms. Fennelly has
won a total of $5000; of that
In
the
photo:
Front
row
–
Emma
Dolen
’16,
Gabe
Buenrostro
’16,
MARC,
Inc.
been the impetus behind
amount, East Catholic was given
Client Robert Noll; Alex Fernez ’15 and Garrett Carlson ’15; Back row – Principal,
this exemplary first-year
$2000, MARC, Inc. was given
Jay Hartling; Engineering Team Coach, Jon Sargent; Ben Davis from MARC, Inc.,
team. Soon after her initial
$1000, and the students were
John DiLoreto ’16, Kevin Zingler from MARC, Inc. and former ECHS
visit to MARC, Inc., she spoke Teacher/Mentor, Sue Fennelly.
given the remaining $2000 to
with Principal Jay Hartling
share. More importantly, Robert
about organizing an engineering team
designed to help Robert complete his work
“was just beaming” when he received his
and solicited interest for it in ECHS science
for Empire Industry Plumbing Supply. In
medal, as Emma Dolen describes. For Emma,
classes. She also contacted Kevin Zingler,
his job, Robert needs to take a U-bolt and
a highlight of the entire experience was
Director of Marketing at MARC, Inc., to
thread nuts onto it, two on each side, ¼ of
Robert’s father telling the team how much
discuss how the organization’s support and
an inch down. Before the invention of the
he appreciated people seeing Robert “for
advocacy of people with disabilities made it
R.U.D., Robert had difficulty threading the
his capabilities rather than his disabilian ideal match for the national engineering
nuts according to the company’s specificaties” throughout the project’s completion.
competition. As stated on its website, the
tions and often had to rely on others to add
For teammate Alex Fernez, “my biggest
SourceAmerica Design Challenge partners
nuts or adjust them to the proper position.
takeaway from the SourceAmerica Design
high school students with “an organization
The R.U.D., as detailed in the team’s comChallenge was learning how easy it is to help
which employs people with disabilities or an
petition video, “is a turntable with a nut
someone.” He added that the competition
individual with a disability to invent a proreservoir, hinged wooden cartridges and
is “a fantastic initiative for getting students
cess, device, system or software” in order to
pins to hold the bolts in place, attached to a
who have interest in engineering-related
“overcome a workplace barrier for a person
disk of wood” on a Lazy Susan rotating tray.
futures involved in a project with real-world
with a disability.” With this in mind, the new
The R.U.D. fulfills what Ms. Fennelly notes
problems.” For Ms. Fennelly, “the whole
ECHS team visited MARC, Inc., and learned
as the most important component of the
experience was just really amazing,” as is her
about different client workplace situations
competition: “the product they make actutremendous contribution to our school.
6
eastarts
“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.” Referring 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 audience 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, accommodate 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 performers showcase their sky-high talent from
the opening notes of the orchestra, conducted 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 onstage. 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 “Anything 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 tensions 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 numbers 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 offered 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 Connecticut on Friday, April 10th
Olivia Varga
at the Connecticut
State Capitol. She
was recognized for creating a poster
encouraging people to
OLIVIA VA
RGA
become organ donors
HONORAB
LE MENTIO
N
as part of Donate Life
Connecticut’s Annual
Visual Arts Contest.
Olivia’s design represents hands coming together in the
shape of a heart.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
7
East Arts continued
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. Shannon 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 Catholic and the
Fantastic Festivals
On Saturday, May 16th, the ECHS Orchestra, 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 initiative 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.
8
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.
1
4
2
3
5
6
8
ECHS Visual Artists
Various 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.
7
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
9
eastathletics
Three Varsity Coaches Honored
I
In this exciting year for the East
Catholic Athletic Department,
three varsity coaches have been honored
for their excellence in coaching and sportsmanship. 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, championship years and winning
percentage. One of
eight finalists, he attended the NHSACA
national convention at
the Kahler Grand Hotel
Coach Malin
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 knowledge and dedication to the profession keep
Tom a standout” as a coach not only of
Boys Golf, but also Boys Soccer. Boys Tennis Coach Ryan Healey commends him as
well: “When they cut the mold for coaches,
10
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 followed 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 20142015. The CHSCA,
which considers a
coach’s entire resume
in its selection, notified
him of this distinction
just before Christmas
2014. A “non-competCoach Healey
itive” tennis player in
high school, Coach
Healey has been involved in the game of tennis 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 applied 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 runner-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 Weinstein ’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,” adding he has done “a fantastic job.” Coach
Usseglio has coached ECHS Girls Hockey
as a club sport, and since the 2012-13 season, 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 opportunity.” Teammate Eliza
Baker ’16 describes him Coach Usseglio
as “such a great coach”
who “isn’t afraid to push us,” but who “always has time for some cheesy conversation with the girls.” Baker continues, “he
wants to connect with us,” and unquestionably he has.
The East Catholic community congratulates these coaches on their stellar
accomplishments.
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)
Ryan Healey (far left) and the ECHS Boys Tennis Team
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)
Tom Malin ’65 (far right) and the ECHS Boys Golf CIAC Division III State Championshions
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)
Frank Usseglio (far left) and the East Catholic/Glastonbury/South Windsor Girls Hockey Team
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)
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
11
East Athletics continued
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
WINTER: (4 All-State; 14 All-Conference; 61 Aca-
• 277 Academic All-Conference Honorees
demic All-Conference)
• 26 All-State Honorees
ALL-CONFERENCE:
Wrestling – Jack Desautels ’16, Connor
• 1 6 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)
12
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.
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)
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)
ECHS Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team Central Connecticut
Conference East Division Tournament Champions.
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).
and Alex Manner ’15 (HM)
Indoor Track – Abby Gothers ’16, Amy Zadroga ’17,
Steven Bolger ’15 (all HM)
Track 26; Boys Tennis 9; Girls Tennis 8; Boys Lacrosse 17; Boys Golf 5; Girls Golf 3; Girls Lacrosse 19;
Baseball 10; Softball 10.
HIGHLIGHTS:
HIGHLIGHTS:
Tennis – State Champions
Golf – State Champions and CCC Champions
Girls Ice Hockey State Champions and SCC Champions; 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
(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
CT Soccer Coaches
Association Award
Luke Schroeder ’15 was named a recipient of the Dr. Valerio Moretti ScholarAthlete 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
Luke Schroeder
merit scholarship award
is given to outstanding 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 charJimmy Titus
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 National 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 classroom, 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 TriTown Gymnastics in
Tolland. He competes
on all six events for
men: vault, pommel
horse, floor, rings, high
bar and parallel bars.
Alex Fitzgerald
He has competed nationally 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 commercial pilot, Alex is attending Embry-
Alex Fitzgerald competing at an
event in Daytona Beach, FL
Alex Schaller
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.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
13
A
FAITH & SERVICE
Mission Trips
“
“
…what shocked
me was the
mass of poverty
BY LENORA SUMSKY
14
Zach Hess
Several East Catholic students have answered the call “to rouse one another
to love and good works” (Hebrews
10:24) on mission trips rooted in our Campus Ministry 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.
S
Close to home, the St. Rose of Lima mission 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
Zach Hess ’16 with high school students at College
Pere Bruny in Les Palmes, Haiti.
grant from the Office of Catholic Social Justice
Ministry, has run during the mornings. In the afternoons and evenings, students from both communities 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 “opportunity 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 coordinator 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, simplicity, community and service. Specifically, Nazareth Farm staff members oversee
volunteers who do basic home repairs for
local families who otherwise could not afford 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 available, 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. McLaughlin. “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
“
…the perfect element
for anyone motivated
to help people and
to build lasting
connections…
“
A
Alyssa Fiori
ECHS group that traveled
and volunteered at Nazareth
Farm.
Stephanie Cota ’15 hanging
drywall at a home in rural
West Virginia.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
15
Faith & Service continued
Pictures of local children
at orphanage in Oaxaca,
Mexico.
Local dump in Oaxaca,
Mexico where people have
carved out a place to live
amongst the litter and
debris.
16
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 expectations, “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 “extremely happy and extremely faithful.” Though he
ECHS student Nathalie Noriega ’16 holding a little boy
in rural Oaxaca, Mexico who is about to receive
medical treatment.
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.”
SERVIC
She flew alone to join a mission trip from March
14-21 sponsored by Simply Smiles, an organization 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 completely at peace.”
Both Zach and Nathalie aspire to
return to Haiti and Mexico, and possibly, to expand their trips to include
more ECHS students in the future.
Wherever they have done their volunteering, our students in service exemplify “love and good works.”
“
“
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 community service throughout the year.
students preparing the Easter
school supply bags for
students in Hartford.
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 Cancer Collaborative that assists the agency and
survivorship programs.
Chris Daly ’18 with mom Mary
at the ECHS Pink Out Game.
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 Everywhere” program. This year over 40,000 meals
were prepared and packaged for children and
families in need in Haiti.
ECHS students Briana Bellamy ’15,
Hanna Bauer ’15, Devon Brewer ’15
and John Lambert ’15 packaging
meals for the “Feeding Children
Everywhere” program.
…how passionate I
am about community
service…
Nathalie Noriega
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
17
EC TRAVEL
ECHS Science Teacher Lesa Milas with
students Maggie McGeary ’16 and Grace
Pulito ’16 getting rained on while visiting
the Galapagos Islands.
18
Globetrotting
Eagles
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 Washington, D.C. on ECHS trips.
On Friday, February 13th, students who had eagerly 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 Studies teacher Rob Dornfried, a Fulbright Scholar in
Austria last year. Mr. Cruanes emphasized that Mr.
Dornfried’s presence “added another layer of local 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 concentration camp, and BMW headquarters. After
three days, the group arrived in Salzburg, Austria,
I
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 travelers experienced the best of both countries. Austin
ECHS students visiting
Neuschwanstein Castle in
southwestern Bavaria,
Germany.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
19
EC Travel continued
“
“
…the real defining joy
was seeing my students
soak it in, live it and
bask in it…
Ms. Milas
ECHS students visiting
Equator Park, in Quito,
Ecuador.
20
Buck ’16 found the trip especially meaningful
“with me being a transfer student this year.” “East
Catholic culture,” he says, “is awesome,” and “getting 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 attracted 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 endemic 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-
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 Annapolis 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 espionage, 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 enjoyed 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.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
21
EC Travel continued
Students visited the ornate
neo-gothic town hall, Neues
Rathaus Glockenspiel in
Munich, Germany.
22
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
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
23
SPECIAL REPORT
GRADUATI
24
50
EAST CATHOLIC
AT FIFTY
BY VIRGINIA LAFONTANA
O
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 insignia 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
ION 2015
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
25
Graduation 2015 continued
“
…a chain
is only as
strong as
its weakest
link…
“
Ben Oldham ’15 &
Chae Ren Kim ’15
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.
26
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 working 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 ceremony, 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 graduation ceremony brought back memories of their
own East Catholic days when they had the heady
experience of helping to set the tone and traditions 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 freshmen 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 respect 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 challenge than a boast: (That cry from us that ‘East is
best” has made us strain to grow.”)
Michael Adanti
Kyle Ajodhi
Raymond Alosky
Bryan Balser
Carly Barrett
Hanna Bauer
Briana Bellamy
Steven Bolger
William Bollash
Benjamin Bosco
Julia Brennan
Brianne Bresnahan
Devon Brewer
Asa Brigandi
Brendan Byam
Marissa Cadieux
Thomas Callahan
Kristin Cancelliere
Garrett Carlson
Jessica Carreiro
Trent Carriere
Arianna Chrisis
Rylee Clarkin
Nicole Cohen
Pablo Colon
Connor Conforto
Kathryn Connolly
Sarah Cota
Stephanie Cota
Justin Court
Alexa Custodio
Carleigh Davis
Emma DeGrandi
John DeMartino
Kailey Demers
Nicole DeRosa
Tiffany Dias
Jeffrey Dion
Amanda Dokas
Michael Dorman
Courtney Dudzinski
Cristianna Duvall
Hannah Evans
Olivia Evans
Bethany Faulkner
Clay Felice
Alex Fernez
Noah Fisher
William Fisher
Margaret Fitzgerald
Rebecca Fitzgerald
James FitzPatrick
Brandon Fournier
Brandon Fox
Hannah Francoline
Logan French
Danica Fromerth
Natalie Fulco
Alissa Gandiaga
Amanda Garrepy
Sydney Geddis
Tristan Gervais
Delaney Gibbons
Alexander Manner
Sarah Marek
Jacqueline Margaglione
Aelan Marshall
Conor Maselli
Grace Mazzarella
Jake McCarthy
Stephanie McGillivray
Hailey McKeever
Seamus McKeever
James Mello
Nicholas Mendoza
Nicole Micoletti
Katherine Miller
CLASS OF 2015
Angela Giliberto
Keegan Gothers
Logan Greene
Olivia Grillo
Jillian Hayes
Landon Herr
Alex Hill
Craig Hlavaty
Juliana Holcomb
Geoffrey Horvath
Esha Hosein
Brendan Howroyd
Christopher Jagel
Ryan Karabetsos
Mikayla Kelley
Tyler Kiely
Chae Rin Kim
Natalie Kopiec
Lauren Kumnick
Peter Lachcik
John Lambert
Macie Lamontagne
Hannah Larson
Jonathan LeBlanc
Jill Lehmann
Xiamu Li
Isaiah Likely
Adam Machado
Eric Maldonado
Ilaria Monteleone
Elizabeth Moore
Brandon Moreau
Blake Mullen
Lee Munson
Joseph Murphy
Steven Murray
Alyssa Nadeau
Chelsea Nelis
Jaysen Nunez
Jillian O’Connell
Evan O’Connor
Benjamin Oldham
Sarah Ouellette
Jackson Palauskas
Allissa Parker
Cecilia Parla
Shannon Pelletier
Madison Perriolat
John Peters II
Samantha Pineo
Michael Pirro
Michael Piskorz
Tashai Price
Lily Rainville
Ruben Ramirez
Patrick Ramsey
Ryan Regan
Stephanie Regan
Ruiyi Ren
Brendan Reynolds
Jacob Richard
Logan Richardello
Karl Roberts
April Dawn Salvatore
Sasean Sanders
Jack Sanford
Emily Sargent
Madison Sarra
Alex Schaller
Luke Schroeder
Benjamin Schwendy
Alexandra Segar
Alexa Smith
Travis Smith
Younggwang Son
Anna Stern
Rebekah Strand
Andrew Stutts
Khaled Suede
Dianna Tedford
Benjamin Teerlinck
Tracey Thonakkaraparayil
Maile Thongsythavong
Kyle Toce
Luke Townsend
John Trainor
Rory Twomey
Alaina Van Slooten
Christopher Vandenburgh
Lindsay Veilleux
Lauren Vigue
Patrick Villandry
Thomas Wadhams
Daniel Waung
Caylee Whitaker
Brooke White
Dylan Wiafe
Jillian Wieczorek
Alexander Wing
Alexa Wisnieski
Timothy Wolpert
David Wu
Hye Rin Yim
Corinne Zazzaro
Joshua Zbierski
Yingxi Zhang
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
27
Geoffrey Horvath ’15 Senior
Class Vice President giving
welcome remarks at
Graduation.
“
“
…so what has
changed, and what
has stayed the
same?…
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 traditions, most of which are still observed. It was the
Class of 1965, for example, that first chose a Marian 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 entered 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.
ECHS Class of 2015 Kyle Toce, Alexander Wing, Blake Mullen and Rory Twomey.
28
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 reflected 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, baseball, 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 curriculum, but with far more electives and extracurricular 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 reminiscences: Tom Malin, Kathie Lodge, Marie Schauster, and Corinne Wandy of the Class of 1965, and
Anne Brzezicki of the Class of 1968.)
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.
SUMMA SCHOLARS
East Catholic students who were named as
Superintendent’s Summa Scholars
for achieving a GPA level of 4.3 or higher.
NOMINATED STUDENT
Grace R. Mazzarella
Garrett M. Carlson
Tiffany A. Dias
Alex D. Fernez
Benjamin Schwendy
Alaina Van Slooten
John J. DeMartino
Juliana M. Holcomb
Nicole L. Cohen
TEACHER HONOREE
Judy Landry
Paul Hammer
Ann Marie Ward
Sarah Poirier
Scott Scorso
Sarah Poirier
David Brudz
David Brudz
Lisa Kirsche
Tracey Thonakkaraparayil ’15 receiving her diploma from Archbishop Henry J. Mansell
with ECHS Vice Principal Elena Gostic.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
29
Class of 1965
30
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.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
31
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Anne Mather
Anne Mather Brzezicki ’68
getting ready to teach a
riding lesson.
32
Brzezicki ’68
BY VIRGINIA LAFONTANA
2015 Graduation Speaker
dition to managing four IHSA National Championship 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 Championship 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 concentrations 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.
Anne Mather Brzezicki at the
2013 IHSA Western Semi Final
Championship.
“
“
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 discovered the passion that was to become her career.
Currently the Director of Equitation Programs at
Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Anne first developed her love of
horses through a friendship with her classmate,
Janet Torpey. While the two girls were still attending 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 Equitation Champion, UCONN Little
Anne Mather
Brzezicki ’68
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 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the
United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), in ad-
W
…Anne decided to
make a career of
riding and training
horses in honor of her
late friend…
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
33
Alex Schaller ’15, Felicia Farr Schaller ’81, Alex Fernez
’15, Virginia Dubaldo Fernez ’80
Nancy Donlon Brennan ’74, Julia Brennan ’15,
Geoffrey Horvath ’15, Len Horvath ’67
Graduates with
Sherry Krause Duvall ’91 &
Christianna Duvall ’15
David Fournier ’80 &
Brandon Fournier ’15
Tracy Tobeler French ’87,
Logan French ’15, Karen
Mador Regan ’85, Ryan
Regan ’15, Michael Byam
’83, Brendan Byam ’15
Ben Schwendy ’15 & Susan O’Neill
Schwendy ’88
Christine Whaples Kiely ’82, Tyler Kiely ’15, Christina Frese Jagel
’82, Christopher Jagel ’15, Denise White Toce ’82, Kyle Toce ’15
Mark Fulco ’80 &
Natalie Fulco ’15
John DeMartino ’15 & Darren DeMartino ’83
Billy Bollash ’15 & Mary
Georgiades Bollash ’80
Samantha Pineo ’15 &
Todd Pineo ’85
34
Lily Rainville ’15 & Rosemary
Viola Rainville ’77
Brian McKeever ’75, Seamus McKeever ’15, Madison
McKeever ’12, Lise Engelbrecht McKeever ’75
Janice Boser Parla ’82 , Cecilia Parla ’15
& John Parla ’79
Alumni Family
Tristan Gervais ’15 &
Dale Gervais ’87
Angela Giliberto ’15 &
Emilio Giliberto ’82
Caroline Murphy Segar ’80 &
Alexandra Segar ’15
William Chip Sander III ’76, Lisa Sander Hlavaty ’80,
Craig Hlavaty ’15, Ariel Hlavaty ’13, David Sander ’86
John Wieczorek ’78 &
Jillian Wieczorek ’15
Patricia Evans Murphy
’87 & Joseph Murphy ’15
Elizabeth O’Brien Hill ’88 &
Alex Hill ’15
Emily Sargent ’15 & Mary-Pat Flynn Sargent ’81
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
35
ALUMNI NEWS
1965
JUDY 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 editor. 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 office 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.
1966
SHELEEN 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. Anstandig is the owner/
operator of BodyLogicMD 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 Directors of Goodwill of Southern Nevada.
36
2000
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 children 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.
1990
ANNE 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 meaning “to invite” or “to
give occasion for”.
Or, in French today,
it is simply translated
“Life”. Make an occasion to enjoy Vie with
friends. Enjoy Vie!
Enjoy Life!
BRIAN 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 Catholic, 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.
2008
VICTORIA 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.
WEDDING
ALUMNI NEWS
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.
2011/12
ECHS 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 volunteers. Missing from the photo is MICHAEL
HANNIGAN-PENDA ’10.
1994
ANN 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.
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.
2006
CHRISTOPHER 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 Medical 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.
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 volunteer work. Savannah graduated this past May
from Georgetown
University with a
degree in International Business.
Carrie graduated
this past May from
George Washington
University with
a degree in Human Services and
Social Justice. Both
women met fresh- From left to right Carrie
Wallace ’11 and Savannah
man year at East
Catholic and have Quental ’11 in Washington, D.C.
been best friends
ever since.
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
37
ALUMNI NEWS
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.
2012
JENNIFER O’BRIEN ’12 is attending
UCONN and was accepted this past
spring into the Neag School of Education’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 Mansfield 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 assistant (TA). Jennifer will be working in
an American Sign Language level 1 class
at UCONN as a communication facilitator, 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. Matthew’s Church in Tolland, CT.
2013
ECHS Athletic Director, Tom Malin
’65 & Allyson Fournier ’11.
MARYELIZABETH 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.
2014
VICTORIA HALLISEY ’14 is studying at
Providence College. She recently attended 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.
38
In MEMORY
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 Ferruolo ’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 Skelding ’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 Milheiro ’94, Marco Milheiro ’98 and
Daniel Oliveira ’99; died 7/3/14
*RICHARD MARZIALO, brother of
Michael Marzialo ’73, Mary Marzialo Fowler ’76, Marc Marzialo ’80
and Adeline Marzialo ’87; uncle of
Susan Uppling ’08 and Zachary
Uppling ’08; died 11/15/14
*DOMINIC MARANDINO, grandfather of Christina Marandino Yester
’04, Andrea Marandino ’06, Dominic 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 Bailey 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 Botticello 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 grandmother of Peter Lonergan ’14; died
3/2/15
BETTY REIN, grandmother of Andrew 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, grandmother 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 grandfather 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
THE EAGLE FALL 2015
39
eastcommunit y
Y
E N T
T W
TOM
F I F T H
A N N
U A
L
MALIN
EAGLE
INVITATIONAL
Golf Tournament
To benefit East Catholic High School
Eagle Invitational Golf
Tournament is a hit!
The 25th Annual Tom
Malin Eagle Invitational
Golf Tournament took
place at Blackledge
Country Club in Hebron on Friday, June
John Wholley
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.
Members of the Wholley Family along
with former ECHS Athletic Director and
Football Coach - Cliff Demers.
Taste of East Catholic
In March, East Catholic held its annual
spring fundraiser “A Taste of East Catholic.” 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 Market, Hilton Hartford, The Main Pub,
Manchester Country Club, Marco
Polo Ristorante, Mulberry Street,
Munson’s Chocolates, Navin
Brothers Food Service, The Red Cabin
and Shady Glen
Dairy Stores. The
event featured silent
40
and live auctions, and close to $35,000
was raised in support of programs and
services at the school.
This year’s
Taste of East is
Saturday, Apri
l 2,
2016
n
latio
s Tr
ans
Sam
my
Jere
The
pta
tion
of S
oph
ocle
s’ tr
age
dy
NE
IGO
e Ea
st P
rese
nts
Jea
n An
ouil
h’s
Ada
Stag
ANT
7
p
m
October
23 & 24
TICKETS SOLD
AT THE DOOR
$7 Students
$10 ADULTS
CALL EAST CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL FOR MORE
INFORMATION AT 860-649-5336
115 New State Road
Manchester, CT
echs.com
East Catholic
High School
115 New State Road
Manchester, CT 06042-1820
www.echs.com
Change Service Requested
EAGLE FALL 2015 CALENDAR
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 October 17, 2015
Homecoming Dance
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
42
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARTFORD, CT
PERMIT NO. 5224

East Catholic High School

Transcription

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