Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic President Greg Dempsey Founded 1919 Colors Grey, Scarlet | Established 1919 Phone +1 419-255-2280 | |
Type Private, Co-educational Motto "Dominus Dominantium"("Lord of Lords") Address 2550 Cherry St, Toledo, OH 43608, USA | ||
Central Catholic High School (CCHS), is a Catholic, co-educational, college prep secondary school in Toledo, Ohio. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo and is the largest Catholic high school in the area. CCHS was founded as Cathedral High School in 1919, with its name change in 1920. The school, which is located one mile northwest of Downtown Toledo, offers three possible degrees: standard, college prep, or honors. It has received two School of Excellence Awards and the Drug Prevention Award.
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History
Toledo Central Catholic High School evolved from the old St. Francis de Sales High School on Superior Street in 1914, to Cathedral High School on Collingwood in 1915, to the school we know today as Central Catholic High School in 1920. The idea of a centrally located Catholic high school was a new idea in the United States. Bishop Joseph Schrembs, parish priests, parents, and parishioners saw the advantage of having one large, centrally located high school rather than 25 small high schools scattered around the city. CCHS credits the visionary actions of these leaders in the founding of Central Catholic High School.
School Body
Central Catholic currently has an enrollment of 700 students. Central Catholic is blessed with great diversity. 72.11% of the students at CCHS are White, 24.14% are Black, 3.41% are Hispanic, 0.24% are Asian/Pacific Islander, and .08% are American Indian/Alaskan. There are 85 classroom teachers with a student-teacher ratio of 14.45.
Spirituality
Theology is the foundation of Central Catholic High School because its origin, content, and purpose all come from and lead to God himself. The Theology Curriculum at Central Catholic follows the Diocese of Toledo High School Religion Course of Study based upon the USCCB Curriculum Framework. The course of study seeks God through knowledge of His Word, of His Divine Nature, the Mission of Christ – True God and True Man, of the Church He established to carry out His mission, the Sacraments by which she is Sanctified, the demands of Discipleship – moral living (Morality, Theology of the Body, Social Justice), and finally, how to live out and proclaim that which has been learned and experienced.
Kress Family Library
The Kress Family Library was dedicated in 1996 after a generous donation from the Kress family enabled CCHS to upgrade the facility. Tom and Lou Ann Kress are active benefactors. Tom is the president of the Central Catholic Foundation and is a past president of the CCHS board of directors. Lou Ann is a past president of the CCHS Mother’s Club; and a founder and president of Catholic High Schools Mothers United. All nine of their children attended CCHS.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, the library features over 8,000 reference, fiction, and non-fiction circulating books, an automated library catalog, daily newspapers, a periodical collection and archives, video/DVD and CD collections, database access, A/V equipment and support, professional education print resources, 17 student computer workstations, and 30 laptop workstations.
The Kranz SPACE Room is located in the Library and is home to the Ambassador of Exploration Award given to Gene Kranz, CCHS Class of 1951 for service to NASA. This award includes a lunar sample brought to Earth from the Moon by the crew of Apollo 17.
Fine and performing arts
The Central Catholic Music Department has a strong tradition dedicated to developing student musicians and patrons of the arts. Teachers stress musicianship and expect each student to develop skills in music reading, interpretation, and performance as well as the ability to objectively critique their performances. Through exercises and repertoire the students improve tone quality, balance, blend, and intonation. The department stresses the importance of music in students’ lives as a source of expression, entertainment, and inspiration and is very proud of the number of Central Catholic students who have continued the study of music beyond high school.
Athletics
In Athletics, Central Catholic's nickname is the Fighting Irish. Their colors are scarlet and gray.
They had been a member of the Toledo City League since 1928 and now have recently joined the Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC). The biggest rivals for the Irish include fellow parochial schools St. John's Jesuit, St. Ursula Academy, Notre Dame Academy, and St. Francis de Sales.
Other rivalries include the Whitmer Panthers.
Gallagher Athletic Complex
This facility was blessed and dedicated at a ceremony on October 9, 1998. Charles and Diane (Bertling) Gallagher, 1956 and 1958 CCHS graduates, were presented a wooden replica of the bronze dedication plaque that is permanently placed in the Athletic Complex. The complex consists of a track, football and soccer field, and permanent seats for spectators. The Fighting Irish varsity football team played its first home game at the complex on September 25, 2004, coming away with a homecoming victory.
The stadium received a complete overhaul renovation in 2007. The new stadium includes permanent seating for 6,500 spectators and FieldTurf for its playing surface. Also included in the renovation was a state-of-the-art weight room, a home locker room equipped with 3 flat-screen TVs, coach's offices, and a team meeting room all located under the home side bleachers. It was constructed on the site of the existing complex and includes a full press box and a hospitality suite that accommodates 120 people. A 450-seat stadium club section with chair-back seats is located at midfield on the home side. Construction began in the spring of 2007 and was complete in time for the 2007 homecoming game.
Sullivan Center
The ground breaking for the Sullivan Center was in the spring of 1996. In the fall of 1997, the center was officially opened with a Mass led by Bishop Hoffman. The center holds 3,000 people, making it the largest high school field house in Northwest Ohio. The Sullivan Center includes a 3,000 seat capacity for convocation events, a 2,800 seat capacity for athletic events, one main court and two recreational cross courts, a 600-foot interior jogging track, four concession areas, six locker rooms, and a meeting room with a seating capacity for over 100 people. The Sullivan Center installed a new gym floor in the summer of 2009.
Mercy Field
Mercy Field is home to the Central Catholic High School baseball team, and it opened in the spring of 2012. 1982 Central Catholic graduate, Cleves Delp, donated $2.5 million to build Mercy Field. The stadium features an all-turf field with a clay mound and 12-foot outfield fence, and the field is lighted for night games. It has bleacher seating for 440, dugouts, a two-mound bullpen on each side, a 10-inning scoreboard, a press box with radio and TV booth, and an owner’s viewing suite. The structure also includes a concession stand, locker room, player’s study room, coach’s office, and indoor hitting room.
Mercy Field was named the Midwest Field of the Year by the National High School Baseball Association in 2012.
Lourdes University, a NAIA Division II program, also takes advantage of Central Catholic's facility, using it for their home games.
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
Central Catholic has won seven (7) state championships.
Central Catholic State Tournament Appearances:
The Irish Knight
The Irish Knight is awarded to the winner of the Central Catholic High School and St. Francis de Sales High School football game. The winning school receives and hosts the Irish Knight trophy in their school, along with bragging rights. CCHS has won the last 13 contests, including a 50-0 victory in 2016. The Irish Knight series is now led by the Fighting Irish 29-28-1. There has only been one overtime game, which occurred in 2003.