Central Catholic High School (Toledo, Ohio)


Central Catholic High School, 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 two possible degrees: honors or college prep. It has received two School of Excellence Awards and the Drug Prevention Award.

School Body

Central Catholic currently has an enrollment of 600 students. 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.

School trademarks

School colors

The school colors are scarlet and gray, along with featuring a green shamrock representing the school's nickname of Fighting Irish.

Kress Family Library

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.

Performing Arts

Central Catholic's musical opportunities include Glee Club, Freshmen Mixed Chorus, Irish Marching Band, Concert Band, String Orchestra, Pit Orchestra, as well as piano classes.
CCHS has performed 90 consecutive years of musicals and operettas dating back to 1930. The annual spring musical is held in the 901-seat Valentine Theatre in the downtown district of Toledo. In 2019, the program performed "Les Miserables." The annual Sounds of Christmas also takes place inside the Valentine Theatre, where all programs of the musical department perform a holiday concert. A fall play and winter concert is performed annually inside the school's Front Gym.

Athletics

In Athletics, Central Catholic's nickname is the Fighting Irish. Their colors are scarlet and gray.
They were a member of the Toledo City League from 1928-2010 and then joined the new Three Rivers Athletic Conference in 2011. The biggest rivals for the Irish include fellow parochial schools St. John's Jesuit and St. Francis de Sales in guys' sports, and St. Ursula Academy and Notre Dame Academy in girls' sports.
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 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.

Renovations

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 with hospitality suites 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.
In 2018, more renovations took place, including the replacement of the field turf and the resurfacing of the track.

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. In 2017, a brand new four-sided, hanging scoreboard was installed.

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 alumnus, 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 nine state championships.
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 16 contests, including a 20–0 victory in 2019. The Irish Knight series is led by the Fighting Irish 32-28-1. There has only been one overtime game, which occurred in 2003.

Alma Mater

We love you, Alma Mater,
We always will be true,
With Mary ever guarding
Your doors with mantle blue.
We're thankful for your light so bright
That helps us on our way.
Your spirit leads us onward
With banners red and gray.
We'll cherish you forever
And love you Central High.
All praise to you, our Mother,
We love you, Central High.

Notable alumni