From Our President

Dear Eastside Catholic Community Members,

Conclusions are important for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they often frame how we look at the future.

In some ways, the 2020-21 school year is ending much like it began, in the midst of a pandemic. Yet, recent progress gives us much room for hope and there is light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines rolling out and our world shifting back to normal.

Additionally, a refl ective view of how this school year is ending leaves us with many bright spots to celebrate. I believe it is our focus on the positive amidst uncertainty that will propel Eastside Catholic towards even more optimistic outcomes in the future. On regular school days, during our morning announcements shared over the intercom, we close with a prayer and a reminder to take care of each other. This regular prompt is recognition that at

EC, we recognize that we are better together. And this school year, I believe we are ending more unifi ed both physically and fi guratively. Thankfully, Eastside Catholic was able to reopen to in-person learning in January. Our physical presence has acted to provide students with academic, social and spiritual support that for some was not as accessible from a distance. The Center for Disease

Control released a statement highlighting the importance of inperson connection for the development of children, but parents and teachers didn’t need the data. We all experienced it fi rsthand, as students reconnected with each other and with their teachers. For those who chose to remain remote for a broad range of reasons, we eagerly await the opportunity to welcome you back. While remote, we continued to focus on strengthening our

Touchstones and core values through our EC Rededicated program. Regular email updates featured the work being done across all areas of the school, including athletics, communications, discipline, leadership and Touchstones. We are proud of this work and shared monthly community testimonials and anecdotal examples of these programmatic changes making a difference in our community. From social media posts of our students living out our values in community service efforts, to comments from visitors to our campus extolling the sportsmanship they witnessed as EC athletes rooted for the competition, we are experiencing fundamental change due to this work.

We celebrate our 40th anniversary this year, and while the pandemic stopped us from gathering together, it could not stop us from moving forward. There is no better way to honor Eastside Catholic’s 40 years of tradition than living our values…even if we missed out on cake and balloons.

I am incredibly proud of the ways our community continues to take care of each other. As we celebrate the Class of 2021 and welcome a new group of sixth graders representing the Class of 2028, I thank you for your continued resilience and support of our enduring mission.