Allentown Central Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Allentown Central Catholic High School is a private
, parochial school
located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown
, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
, ACCHS predominantly serves students from the Lehigh Valley
region of the state.
ACCHS employs about 50 teaching staff making up 10 departments, as well as a library and guidance department. Students have options to take electives in Informational Technology, Visual Arts and Performing Arts (music, drama and choir). As of 2008, the school's total enrollment is 910 students, with a nearly equal number of female and male students.
winning school of excellence. Additionally, the Class of 2006 earned $14.5 Million in scholarships and had 3 National Merit Semifinalists, 7 Commended Scholars, 3 National Finalists, 1 Minority Recognition Award Winner and One (of 2,500) National Scholarship Winner. The Class of 2005 had 5 Commended National Merit Scholars, 4 semi-finalists, 4 Finalists, and 1 Scholar.
in District XI
of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
. It holds the fourth most Lehigh Valley Conference championships in all sports, behind Parkland High School
, Emmaus High School
and Easton Area High School. CCHS also holds the record for the most Lehigh Valley Conference championships in girls basketball, girls cross country and girls volleyball.
CCHS plays its home football
and some of its soccer games at J. Birney Crum Stadium
, a 15,000 capacity stadium on Linden Street between 20th and 22nd streets. Their football team has won three PIAA state championships in 1993, 1998, and 2010 and nearly a dozen district XI championships. The school plays the majority of its indoor sporting events, including basketball and wrestling, in Rockne Hall, the school's historic indoor sporting facility.
CCHS is known for its powerhouse girls basketball
teams which won four state championships in a row from 2001 through 2004 and has six overall. The CCHS girls basketball team has ranked among the best on the entire East Coast
in recent years, with USA Today
ranking the team seventh in the East in both 2001-02 and 2002-03.
In 2001-2002, both the girls volleyball
and girls cross country running
teams were State Champions. Additionally, in 2007 and 2008 the girls volleyball team won the AAA state championship. Individual PIAA State Champions include David Rivera (2002 in wrestling
), Frances Koons (2003-Girls Cross Country), Frances Koons (2004 in track and field
), and Catherine Rose (2008, 2009 and 2010 in diving
)
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, ACCHS predominantly serves students from the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the state.
ACCHS employs about 50 teaching staff making up 10 departments, as well as a library and guidance department. Students have options to take electives in Informational Technology, Visual Arts and Performing Arts (music, drama and choir). As of 2008, the school's total enrollment is 910 students, with a nearly equal number of female and male students.
Academics
The school is a multiple Blue Ribbon AwardBlue Ribbon Award
Blue Ribbon Award can refer to:* Blue Ribbon Award , an annual award presented by the Japan Railfan Club* Blue Ribbon Awards, annual Japanese film awards* Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence in Education, awarded by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program...
winning school of excellence. Additionally, the Class of 2006 earned $14.5 Million in scholarships and had 3 National Merit Semifinalists, 7 Commended Scholars, 3 National Finalists, 1 Minority Recognition Award Winner and One (of 2,500) National Scholarship Winner. The Class of 2005 had 5 Commended National Merit Scholars, 4 semi-finalists, 4 Finalists, and 1 Scholar.
Athletics
The school competes athletically in the highly-competitive Lehigh Valley ConferenceLehigh Valley Conference
The Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference is an athletic conference consisting of 12 large high schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States...
in District XI
PIAA District 11
District 11 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is an interscholastic athletic association in Northeastern Pennsylvania. District 11 is one of the PIAA's 12 athletic conferences and comprises mostly high schools within the Lehigh Valley and a few surrounding counties. Member...
of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
. It holds the fourth most Lehigh Valley Conference championships in all sports, behind Parkland High School
Parkland High School (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Parkland High School, located near Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States, is a public high school serving students in grades 9 to 12. It is the only high school for the Parkland School District....
, Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School is a public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
and Easton Area High School. CCHS also holds the record for the most Lehigh Valley Conference championships in girls basketball, girls cross country and girls volleyball.
CCHS plays its home football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and some of its soccer games at J. Birney Crum Stadium
J. Birney Crum Stadium
J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The stadium seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL soccer teams. J...
, a 15,000 capacity stadium on Linden Street between 20th and 22nd streets. Their football team has won three PIAA state championships in 1993, 1998, and 2010 and nearly a dozen district XI championships. The school plays the majority of its indoor sporting events, including basketball and wrestling, in Rockne Hall, the school's historic indoor sporting facility.
CCHS is known for its powerhouse girls basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams which won four state championships in a row from 2001 through 2004 and has six overall. The CCHS girls basketball team has ranked among the best on the entire East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in recent years, with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
ranking the team seventh in the East in both 2001-02 and 2002-03.
In 2001-2002, both the girls volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and girls cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
teams were State Champions. Additionally, in 2007 and 2008 the girls volleyball team won the AAA state championship. Individual PIAA State Champions include David Rivera (2002 in wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
), Frances Koons (2003-Girls Cross Country), Frances Koons (2004 in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
), and Catherine Rose (2008, 2009 and 2010 in diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
)
Notable alumni
- Walt GrollerWalt GrollerWalt Groller is an American polka musician. He is generally considered one of the premier polka musicians in the world.-Early years:...
, polkaPolkaThe polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
musician - Tim HeideckerTim HeideckerTim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
, comedic actor starring in Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010...
and Tom Goes to the MayorTom Goes to the MayorTom Goes to the Mayor is an American animated television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 14, 2004 and ended on September 25, 2006, with a total of thirty episodes.-History:Tom Goes to the...
. - Jim HonochickJim HonochickGeorge James John Honochick was an American League umpire. His career started in 1949 and ended in 1971. During his career, he officiated six World Series and four All-Star games...
, former Major League Baseball umpire. - Gina LewandowskiGina LewandowskiGina Loren Lewandowski is an American soccer player and biology major, she plays as a defender for the Western New York Flash.- Career :...
, current professional soccer player, 1. FFC Frankfurt1. FFC Frankfurt1. FFC Frankfurt is a German women's association football club based in Frankfurt, Hesse and has a membership of about 430. The team currently plays in the German first division women's Bundesliga.- History :...
. - Michelle MarciniakMichelle MarciniakMichelle Marciniak is a former All American collegiate and professional basketball player, who played point guard in the Women's National Basketball Association . As a floor general, Marciniak competed for two National Championships during her three year career at the University of Tennessee...
, women's basketball coach, University of South CarolinaUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, and former professional basketball player, WNBAWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
's Portland FirePortland FireThe Portland Fire joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers. They played their games at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league...
and Seattle StormSeattle StormThe Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
. - Billy McCaffreyBilly McCaffreyBilly McCaffrey is a retired American professional basketball player and college basketball star. He is also former interim head coach at St. Bonaventure University....
, former college basketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
shooting guard, Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
. - Ed McCaffreyEd McCaffreyEdward Thomas McCaffrey is a former American football wide receiver who played for the New York Giants , San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos of the National Football League...
, former professional football player, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Tony StewartTony Stewart (American football)Tony Alexander Stewart is an American football tight end, who is currently a free agent.Stewart was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Penn State....
, current professional football player, Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Christine TaylorChristine TaylorChristine Taylor-Stiller is an American actress.- Early life :Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Skip Taylor, an owner of a security company. She grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania...
, actress and wife of actor Ben StillerBen StillerBenjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
. - Stephanie WoodlingStephanie WoodlingStephanie Woodling , is a lyric mezzo-soprano, currently engaged by Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where she has performed the roles of Dorabella, Hänsel, Giulietta, Siébel, Annio ,Wellgunde , Kristina ,Die zweite Dame , Tessa , and Antonia...
, opera singer.
Notable faculty
- John BirmelinJohn BirmelinJohn Birmelin has been called the Poet Laureate of the Pennsylvania Dutch and is one of the most popular poets and playwrights in the Pennsylvania German language.-Early life:...
, Pennsylvania German dialectPennsylvania German languageThe Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
poet and playwright (teacher of music from 1926 to 1936).