The idea for Eastside Catholic originated in 1974 and the new school opened its doors in 1980 in downtown Bellevue. For the first nine years, the campus was south of the Bellevue Square mall, at the former Bellevue Junior High School, which is now the Downtown Park. The next campus was also rented from the Bellevue School District at the former Ringdall Junior High at 11650 SE 60th Street in Newport Hills. Eastside Catholic was located at that campus for nineteen years, from 1989 to June 2008. In August 2008, Eastside Catholic opened a new $42 million campus in the city ofSammamish. The school also included an expansion to include grades 6–8. The school made headlines when the resignation of vice-principal Mark Zmuda was announced in December 2013. Zmuda said he had been fired. Media reports said he was asked to resign because of his same-sex marriage in July 2013. Over 400 students conducted a sit-in protest in his support, with many teachers supporting the protest as well. The school stated in a letter to parents that "Mark's same-sex marriage over the summer violated his employment contract with the school" and that the school had been "directed to comply with the teachings of the church". In response to the student protest, the school administration stated that students would be sent home for any additional campus protests. This failed to quell the controversy, and on January 22, 2014, the president of the school resigned. The school board of trustees accepted her resignation, saying, "For Sister Mary it was a difficult but necessary decision so that a new leader can be brought in to ensure the entire Eastside Catholic community is on a positive path forward." In August 2017, the school underwent another major disruption of its leadership. The overall principal of the school and the principal of the middle school were both dismissed, and 13 other faculty members resigned in response. Amid the dispute, an online petition was established that collected more than 400 signatures, calling for the dismissals to be reversed. The school's president and the two co-chairs of the board of trustees were reported to have fired the principals without the permission of the rest of the board of trustees. The two trustees who were blamed for the action then resigned and the board of trustees removed Heric from the position of interim president. The dismissed principals and other faculty members were invited to return. The turmoil resulted in the school being unable to open on time for its fall session, so the start of classes was delayed by a week.
Sporting Championships
Eastside Catholic has won ten state titles from 1984 to 2018:
Catch the Spirit Eastside Catholic, The Crusaders won't be beat, Our opponents learn the lesson As we push them to defeat. Give 'em all we've got and then some! They'll remember Eastside's name. As we're marching on to victory, As Crusaders win this game!
