News & Events
Manchester, Connecticut, May 13, 2021 - Six East Catholic High School seniors were recently honored as the 2021 Summa Scholars. The six received medals to acknowledge this success at East Catholic. The students each chose a teacher for recognition who had greatly influenced them during their time at East Catholic.
Students honored include:
- Alexandra Goodin of Glastonbury will be attending Drexel University as a member of the Pennoni Honors College and majoring in psychology.
- Maeve Horan-Portelance of Somers will be attending the University of California, Los Angeles as a data science major.
- Cuong La of Binh Duong, Vietnam will be attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst as a computer science major.
- Claire Murphy of Wethersfield will be attending UConn as part of the special program in medicine.
- Samuel Neves of Stafford Springs will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute and plans to study aerospace engineering.
- John Paul Oei of Hebron will be attending UConn and majoring in finance.
Teachers honored included: Lisa Kirsche ’86, Lesa Milas, Marigrace Miller, and Earlene Regan. Also attending the ceremony were: East Catholic High School President Sean P. Brennan ’85; Vicar for Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis Fr. Michael Whyte; Interim Superintendent of Catholic Schools Valerie Mara; and Advisor to the Vicar for Finance and Technology Laura McCaffrey.
Presented annually by the Archdiocese of Hartford Office of Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis, the awards recognize the students, parents, and teachers who have committed exceptional time, energy, care, and love in the pursuit of superior academic achievement. Students honored were in the top five percent of their graduating class based on cumulative grade point average (GPA) from freshman year to the close of the first semester senior year.
Pictured: Summa Scholars, teachers, and school administrators from the Archdiocese of Hartford and East Catholic High School (left to right): Vicar for Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis Fr. Michael Whyte; Alexandra Goodin, Glastonbury; Lisa Kirsche; Earlene Regan; Maeve Horan-Portelance, Somers; John Paul Oei, Hebron; Lesa Milas; Claire Murphy, Wethersfield; Samuel Neves, Stafford Springs; Interim Superintendent of Catholic Schools Valerie Mara; East Catholic High School President Sean P. Brennan ’85. Not pictured: Cuong La, Binh Duong, Vietnam.