Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh)

Central Catholic High School
Address
4720 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh , Allegheny , PA 15213 USA
Coordinates	40°26′48″N79°56′44″W / 40.44667°N 79.94556°W / 40.44667; -79.94556
Information
School type	Catholic high school
Motto	Latin: Pro Deo et Patria (For God and Country)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Denomination	Lasallian
Patron saint(s)	Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
Established	1927 (1927)
Founder	Hugh Charles Boyle
Status	Currently operational
Oversight	Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
CEEB code	393655
NCES School ID	01193995 [1]
Chaplain	Michael Darcy
Teaching staff	58.3 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Grades	9-12
Gender	All-boys
Enrollment	744 [1]  (2021–22)
•  Grade 9	182 [1]
•  Grade 10	182 [1]
•  Grade 11	203 [1]
•  Grade 12	177 [1]
Student to teacher ratio	12.8 [1]
Hours in school day	6.8 [1]
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Blue and gold
Slogan	Man of Faith. Men of Scholarship. Men of Service.
Fight song	On to Victory
Athletics	6A
Athletics conference	WPIAL
Nickname	Vikings
Accreditation	MSA [2]
Newspaper	The Viking
Yearbook	Towers
Annual tuition	$14,500 [3]
Communities served	Oakland
Affiliation	NCEA [1]
Website	www.centralcatholichs.com
Pittsburgh Landmark – PHLF
Designated	1976 [4]
View from Fifth Ave

Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic, Lasallian, all-boys college preparatory school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The De La Salle Brothers administer and partially staff the school.

History

Bishop Boyle

In the 1920s, Bishop Hugh Charles Boyle of the Diocese of Pittsburgh started a program to expand diocesan involvement in education beyond the existing parish schools founded by the predominantly Catholic immigrant population of the city. Boyle invited the Brothers of the Christian Schools (more commonly known as the Christian Brothers) to found an all-male secondary school in Oakland, the academic district of Pittsburgh. The first freshmen class entered in 1927, and Central Catholic's success allowed Boyle to expand on the diocesan network of boys' schools with North Catholic, Serra Catholic, and South Hills Catholic High School. ^[5]

Although the school initially took students only from the central neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, the decline of regional equivalents such as North Catholic and South Catholic, following both schools' gradual switch to coeducation, eventually attracted students from a more comprehensive geographic and socioeconomic range. Students attend from neighborhoods including Bloomfield and Squirrel Hill, to suburban communities such as Cranberry, Jefferson Hills, and Fox Chapel. The diocese also opened a sister school, Oakland Catholic, in the Oakland area.

Curriculum

Central Catholic's academic courses are divided into five levels:

• Regular (Level 1; 4.0 scale),
• Intermediate (Level 2; 4.4 scale),
• Advanced (Level 3; 4.8 scale),
• Honors (Level 4; 5.4 scale),
• Advanced Placement (Level 5; 6.0 scale).

Class rank is based upon GPA weighted for level. Because the different academic levels are weighted differently, the weighted GPA is based upon a 6.0 rather than 5.0 scale. ^[6] Freshmen are placed into course levels within the various departments based on elementary school grades and a standardized placement test given by the school itself. The foreign languages offered are French, Latin, Spanish, and Italian. Freshmen may choose to take an elective course in music or art departments. All freshmen are required to take 1 semester of Gym (Level 1) and 21st Century Technology (Level 3).

Upperclassmen have more flexibility in course and department selection. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses and over 30 honors courses. ^[6]

The Baginski Scholars Program is a progressive, interdisciplinary program designed to let students who excel academically participate in activities and discussions to build their knowledge in social sciences, humanities, and the sciences. The program is directed by John Allen and Patrizia Costa. ^[7]

In the 2013–2014 school year, two pilot engineering classes were introduced, and the school planned to construct a new building for STEM subjects. During the same year, a one to one computing program was initiated at the high school. iPads were deployed to all freshmen and sophomores. ^[8]

Extracurricular activities

The school has an athletic history that includes championships for track and field, soccer, swimming, rowing, bowling and football. Other varsity sports offered are basketball, baseball, rugby, tennis, lacrosse, bowling, ice hockey, in-line hockey, golf, cross country, wrestling, and volleyball. Fencing, table tennis, Ultimate frisbee, and disc golf are offered as club sports. ^[9]

The school has a forensics team, musical theater productions, referred to by the students as “Masque”, PJAS participation, student publications, a chess team, and a robotics team. ^[10]

The school's mascot is the Viking. It had a long-standing rivalry with North Catholic High School until enrollment declined at North Catholic. Competition grew increasingly one-sided in favor of Central Catholic. North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and Woodland Hills have come to replace North Catholic as the school's significant rivals in sports, and Shady Side Academy in academics.

Athletics

In 2013, the Central Catholic Rowing Team won its first gold medal at SRAA nationals, defeating their rivals, St. Joseph's Prep. ^[11] On July 23, 2013, a proclamation was made by the city of Pittsburgh declaring that day, July 23, 2013, Central Catholic Crew Day in honor of the win by the crew. ^[12] The football team defeated Woodland Hills High School, defeating them 27–7 in the WPIAL Quad A championship. ^[13]

In 2014, Central Catholic's second varsity (2V) crew won its first gold medal. In the last stretch of the race, Central Catholic's boat advanced a marginal length on Gonzaga College High School's 2V, leaving Winter Park High School in third place. ^[14] Additionally, the first varsity (1V) and the first freshmen (1F) boats received bronze and silver medals, respectively. ^[15]

In 2015, Central Catholic's undefeated club Ultimate Frisbee team won the Division II PHUL championships, defeating their rivals from Bethel Park. ^[16] The varsity baseball team also won the 4A WPIAL Championship, defeating Norwin High School.

In 2016, Central Catholic's football team won the first-ever 6A WPIAL Championship. They lost the first-ever 6A PIAA Championship to St. Joseph's. List of PIAA football state champions The golf team won its second 3A WPIAL Championship with a WPIAL record score of 378. The team continued to the PIAA state championship. The team shot a PIAA record score of 297, winning their first state championship in golf. The golf team continued this success by winning the 2017 WPIAL championship.

In 2018, Central Catholic's varsity golf team won their third consecutive WPIAL title with another record-setting round of 372. They continued this success into the PIAA 3A state championship and again claimed first place.

Campus

Built in the 1920s in the National Romantic style, the school building is designated a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark. The building has undergone renovations to the classrooms, the dining hall, the library, the theater, the writing center, and other areas. Renovation of the classrooms included adding flat screen televisions, Smart Boards, and other learning technology devices.^{[ citation needed ]}

On the same campus as the main building, there is a gymnasium, an athletic field, a weight training room, and the STEM building. Next to the main building, on the Neville Street side, is the Brothers' House, where the Brothers of the Christian Schools who work at Central Catholic live.

The school held a groundbreaking ceremony on December 3, 2014, for the new building for STEM subjects. The building opened at the beginning of the 2016–2017 school year for academic use. ^[17]

Notable alumni

Athletes

• John Babinecz – football player drafted in the second round in 1972 by Dallas Cowboys
• Marc Bulger – NFL quarterback for Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams ^{[18] [19]}
• Jeff Dugan – football player for Minnesota Vikings ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Tim Grgurich – basketball head coach, University of Pittsburgh and UNLV
• Perry Hills – former college football quarterback for the Maryland Terrapins ^[20]
• Justin Kurpeikis – football player for four NFL teams^{[ citation needed ]}
• Tony LaCava – baseball player and executive ^[21]
• Dan Marino – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Miami Dolphins and television commentator ^[22]
• Sam McDowell – known as "Sudden Sam," Major League Baseball pitcher, primarily Cleveland Indians, six-time American League All-Star^{[ citation needed ]}
• George Patterson – basketball player^{[ citation needed ]}
• Sal Sunseri – former All-American linebacker for University of Pittsburgh Panthers, assistant coach for University of Colorado ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Jack Twyman – Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame guard/forward, Rochester/Cincinnati Royals ^[23]
• Ed Vereb – former NFL football halfback for Washington Redskins ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Stefen Wisniewski – guard for Kansas City Chiefs
• Damar Hamlin (Class of 2016) – safety for the Buffalo Bills ^[24]
• Rodney Thomas II – safety for the Indianapolis Colts
• Cal Adomitis – long snapper for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Michael Grady – Olympic rower at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the U.S. Men's coxless four ^[25]
• Alex Miklasevich – Olympic rower at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the U.S. Men's eight ^[25]
• Neal Shipley - Men's golfer ^[26]

Business

• John F. "Jack" Donahue – founder and Chairman of Federated Investors, Inc. ^[27]
• David Lucchino – co-founder and CEO of Frequency Therapeutics, a biotechnology company
• James Sinegal – co-founder and CEO of Costco

Entertainment

• Regis Cordic – radio personality ^[27]
• Bill Deasy – singer/songwriter ^[28]
• Frank DiLeo – music executive and actor^{[ citation needed ]}
• Tom Savini – special effect and makeup expert ^[29]
• Zachary Quinto – Emmy nominated actor and director^{[ citation needed ]}
• Liam Bonner – baritone opera singer^{[ citation needed ]}

Journalism/publication

• John Tierney – science columnist for The New York Times ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Robert Lee "Rob" Penny – playwright and poet^{[ citation needed ]}
• Bill Hillgrove – sports journalist, radio personality, broadcaster. ^[30]
• Joseph Bathanti – Poet Laureate of North Carolina, author, professor ^[31]
• August Wilson – playwright (dropped out after one year) ^[32]

Government / military

• Martell Covington – Pennsylvania State Representative ^[33]
• William Coyne – US congressman^{[ citation needed ]}
• Eugene DePasquale - Former auditor general of Pennsylvania
• Rich Fitzgerald – Allegheny County Executive^{[ citation needed ]}
• Thomas E. Flaherty – Judge, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
• Conor Lamb - Former assistant U.S. attorney, Marine, and U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 17th district
• Lewis C. Merletti – director of the United States Secret Service ^[27]
• Thomas M. Nolan – Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator ^[34]
• Corey O'Connor – Councilman, Pittsburgh City Council
• Ralph Pampena – Pittsburgh Police Chief 1987–1990^{[ citation needed ]}
• Stephen Zappala Sr. – Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice
• Stephen Zappala – Allegheny County District Attorney

Education

• Henry J. McAnulty – President of Duquesne University (1959–1980)^{[ citation needed ]}
• L. Timothy Ryan – President of The Culinary Institute of America^{[ citation needed ]}
• G. Marcus Cole – Is the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at the Notre Dame Law School.
• Timothy M. Devinney – Professor, Alliance Manchester Business School.
• Michael New – is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America.

Notes

1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Central Catholic High School". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
2. MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
3. "Tuition and Financial Aid". Admissions. Central Catholic High School. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
4. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968–2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
5. "History". Central Catholic High School. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
6. ""2014 – 2015 Parent Student Handbook"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2014.
7. "Baginski Scholars". centralcatholichs.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
8. "iPad Program – letter to parents and guardians" (PDF). Central Catholic High School. July 21, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
9. "Athletics". Central Catholic High School. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
10. "Student Clubs and Activities". Central Catholic High School. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
11. "» 2013 Results Scholastic Rowing Association of America". Scholastic Rowing Association of America. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
12. "City Council Honors National Champion Crew Team". KDKA-TV. July 23, 2014.
13. "WPIAL championship". post-gazette.com.
14. "Sraa nationals". regattatiming.com.
15. "Central Catholic Rowing press release" (PDF). centralcatholichs.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
16. "Overview – 2015 PHUL Spring League – Community for Pittsburgh Ultimate". Community for Pittsburgh Ultimate. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
17. "Central Catholic High School launches major capital campaign". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
18. "Marc Bulger #10". St. Louis Rams Official Website. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
19. White, Mike (August 26, 2005). "Tradition of Western Pennsylvania quarterbacks continues". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved January 25, 2007.
20. "Perry Hills Biography". University of Maryland . Retrieved October 28, 2016.
21. "Central Catholic has many ties to its 1979 baseball team".
22. "Manziel joins list of QBs drafted by MLB teams". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 8, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
23. "Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame : Hall of Fame : Inductees : 2006 Charter Class : Jack Twyman".
24. "Mike DeFabo on Twitter" . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
25. "Central Catholic grads Michael Grady, Alex Miklasevich ready to row in Olympics". June 16, 2021.
26. "Central Catholic graduate paired with Tiger Woods on Masters Sunday". April 14, 2024.
27. "Alumni Hall of Fame". Central Catholic High School Web Site. Archived from the original on August 30, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
28. "Alumni Hall of Fame". Designing Home Lifestyles. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
29. Vassilaros, Dimitri (October 4, 2003). "Creepshow mastermind delivers scares nationwide". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved December 21, 2006.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
30. "Channel 4 Action News Team: Bill Hillgrove". WTAE-TV Channel 4 Web Site. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
31. Sostek, Anya (September 14, 2012). "Pittsburgh native Joseph Bathanti named poet laureate of North Carolina". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
32. Isherwood, Charles (October 3, 2005). "August Wilson, Theater's Poet of Black America, Is Dead at 60 (Published 2005)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 12, 2020.
33. Felton, Julia (January 12, 2022). "Martell Covington launches bid for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey's former state House seat". TribLIVE.com.
34. "Pennsylvania House of Representatives – THOMAS M. NOLAN Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved October 10, 2019.

External links

• Central Catholic High School homepage
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh homepage
• Student Body Page
• Arts Page
• Central Catholic Crew homepage