by Mr. Brian Cook – Central Catholic Director of Communications & Marketing
Since the founding of Central Catholic High School in 1927, the Christian Brothers have been bringing a human and Christian education to the young men at this Diocese of Pittsburgh school. As the school approaches one hundred years of academic excellence, a new leader looks to the new century. Following a decision to restructure school administration, Mr. Matthew J. Stoessel was appointed to the new position of President in late 2023.
The President’s primary purpose is to provide institutional leadership, overseeing the school’s fiscal management, operations, advancement, recruitment, and enrollment management. Matt Stoessel knows both the school and the Lasallian mission. He is a 1995 graduate and was their Executive Director of Advancement since 2017.
Mr. Stoessel states, “I am so proud to play a part in continuing and growing the success of my alma mater. The faculty, Board members, alumni, and Brothers— the entire Lasallian family—are committed to our tradition of academic excellence and our promise to inspire boys to become men of faith, scholarship, and service.”
It is true that there are many exceptional programs and opportunities available at the school. Central Catholic is proud to offer enriching “Signature” academic programs that provide additional resources and challenges for our students.
Central Catholic students enjoy a walk in the quad after lunch.
These programs include:
- The Engineering Institute at Central Catholic (EICC) that offers a combination of coursework, resources, and outside of the classroom experiences, to create a curriculum of hands-on, teamwork-oriented coursework.
- The Bishop McDowell Program helps students who may benefit from scheduled time for additional coursework assistance and skill-building, helping them progress in the rigorous college prep curriculum.
- The Brother David S. Baginski, FSC Scholars Program provides an intellectual forum to highly motivated students, through seminars, mentoring, programmatic trips, symposia, and a Senior Thesis project.
The school is also proud to partner with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as area businesses, to offer various classes field trips that include hands-on learning experiences in areas that are of career interest to their students. Also unique to Central Catholic are its summer educational workshops and athletic camps. For younger students, these include Public Speaking Summer Camp for 6th through 9th grade students, and the BAM! (Because Academics Matter) program, which is designed to introduce college preparatory experience while creating excitement for deeper learning at a higher level. The “Let’s Experiment!” Summer Chemistry Workshops advance students who have completed at least one year of high school chemistry. In addition, the school offers basketball, crew, football, and soccer camps that bring together hundreds of Pittsburgh youth on the campus. Recognized by the US Department of Education as one of the nation’s “outstanding secondary schools,” Central Catholic is poised to make the second hundred years even better than the first, and will continue changing the lives of the thousands of young men who walk out their doors to make the world a better place
Mr. Matthew Stoessel, President, in front of Central Catholic High School.
In a Carnegie Mellon University laboratory, Central Catholic students receive hands-on experience in stem cell research.
