Allentown Central Catholic High School

Allentown Central Catholic High School, a Catholic, college-preparatory, co-educational school is committed to educating the whole person. Our tradition of a rigorous academic and extensive co-curricular program encourages students to develop their spiritual, intellectual, moral, physical and creative potential. Our mission is to graduate men and women who are always faithful to living a life that is committed to faith, justice, integrity, and responsible citizenship.

• Allentown Central Catholic has earned an esteemed reputation as a Christ-centered, quality academic institution, which fosters mutual respect and concern for others. ACCHS develops the academic, spiritual, and physical dimensions of each student. The ethical principles and moral values we instill reflect those Christian family values, which hold societies together.
• Allentown Central Catholic has a history of rich traditions established over our 95-year history. Our students continue to add to this legacy in the classroom, on the athletic fields, on the stage, and in our community. These students enrich the legacy established by generations of alumni.
• Allentown Central Catholic is a school whose student body reflects the economic and cultural diversity of the communities it serves. As a result of its quality academic program, 99% of Allentown Central Catholic graduates continue their education in institutions of higher learning every year. This is a reflection of our high standards, the dedication of our faculty and administration, and a continued commitment to excellence in education.

The Arts

At Allentown Central Catholic, musicians, vocalists, actors, graphic designers, and artists are given the opportunity to showcase their talents. From art class to theatrical productions to concerts, ACCHS's love for creativity shines. Our fine arts curriculum helps to provide each student with a full range of study that keeps our students involved and engaged.

Art Classes - Art Appreciation, Art 1 and 2, Art 3, Multimedia Design, and Video Production 1 and 2.

Art Clubs and Activities – Art Club, Yearbook, Choir, Color Guard, Concert Band, Dance Team, Drama Club, Jazz Ensemble, Spring Musical, and Marching Band.

Foreign Languages Offered - Spanish and French

Athletics

ACCHS sports teams are dedicated to fostering a competitive spirit which emphasizes dedication, discipline, school and team pride, respect for one's self as well as for teammates, coaches, opponents and officials.

Most sports are offered at three levels – Freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity – giving athletes of all ages and abilities an opportunity to showcase their talents. More than 60 percent of ACCHS students participate in interscholastic sports and intramural play within the school community. Students can also participate in our athletic programs as student trainers and managers.

Over the years, ACCHS athletic programs have enjoyed great success due to the dedicated efforts of the students and coaches. Along with numerous championships won at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, county, and state level, many of our athletes graduate with an opportunity to compete at the collegiate level.

Athletic Programs include:

• Baseball
• Basketball - Boys & Girls
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country - CoEd
• Field Hockey
• Football
• Golf - CoEd
• Lacrosse - Boys & Girls
• Soccer - Boys & Girls
• Softball
• Swim & Dive - CoEd
• Tennis - Boys & Girls
• Track & Field - CoEd
• Volleyball - Girls
• Wrestling

Special Academic Programing

Advanced Placement Offerings:

AP English Language             AP Calculus AB

AP English Literature              AP Calculus BC

AP US History                         AP Physics 1

AP Government/Politics         AP Physics 2

AP Statistics                            AP Spanish

*Additional AP courses are available through our Virtual High School program; vhslearning.org

Credit Offerings through DeSales University:

Foundations of Theology        ACCHS - H Theology 4
Economics                              ACCHS - H Economics & Government
Composition & Research        ACCHS - H English 4
Calculus 1                               ACCHS - H Calculus
Biology 1 & 2                           ACCHS- H Biology 2

Honors Program:

Allentown Central Catholic offers a large variety of honor courses to students who are above average in ability and who can achieve success in a challenging area of study. These honor courses form the nucleus of our Honors Program.

Accelerated Math Program:

ACCHS offers an accelerated math program opportunity during the summer for students who have demonstrated the ability and meet the criteria to enroll in one of our three calculus courses in their senior year.

Lehigh Career and Technical Institute:

LCTI is an option for students in grades 10,11, or 12. In addition to participating in a program at LCTI students would need to be enrolled in the following courses at ACCHS.

• Grade 10- Theology 2, English 2, Math, World Language. American Studies will be taken at LCTI along with the chosen LCTI program. Students may need to take a health and/or PE class over the summer or in their junior year to meet the state requirement.
• Grade 11- Theology 3, English 3, Math
• Grade 12- Theology 4, English 4, Government and Politics

We will work with any student interested on an individual basis to create a schedule that allows them to be a member of our school community and have the LCTI experience. Programs offered through LCTI can be found at https://www.lcti.org/

Virtual Program:

ACCHS partners with Virtual High School Global Consortium (VHS Learning). VHS Learning is a non-profit international collaboration of public and private schools from the United States and many other countries. It offers junior and senior students high-quality online courses and provides professional development for online teachers. The program has been internationally recognized as a model for K-12 online education.

Career Pathways and Programs:

Allentown Central Catholic offers a variety of Career Pathways including Project Lead the Way Engineering, Comp TIA Academy for IT Careers, Film and Production, Business and Accounting, as well as Science, Math, Social Studies, and English programs.

How we support students with learning differences

Academic Achievement Center

To provide academic assistance to the students of Allentown Central Catholic High School the Academic Achievement Center (AAC) has been developed.  Students with documented significant learning challenges/concerns(i.e. IEP/504) come to AAC to further develop study skills, organizational skills, time management skills and to work on individual learning needs. These skills are imperative for students to achieve academic success at the high school and collegiate levels so that they may attain gainful employment. Students meet with an Academic Achievement Center Teacher once a week.

How we support students with college and career counseling

A full time College Admissions Counselor works with students during their junior and senior years to assist them with the college application process.

Every Junior takes a Junior Seminar Class as a minor, it meets once a week and focuses on the college application process (college lists, letters of recommendation, the common app, college application essay, etc).

Use of Naviance - an American college and career readiness software provider that partners with high schools to provide students with college planning and career assessment tools.

School Counselors facilitate classroom presentations to provide knowledge and resources regarding career research as well as Individual student meetings to help encourage career exploration.

Awards and Achievements

Every year ACCHS students are recognized for their outstanding achievements in our student clubs including: Scholastic Scrimmage, Science Olympiad, PJAS, Biology Olympics, Model UN, Mock Trial, Debate Team, and many others.

Each year ACCHS athletics teams earn multiple league and district titles. We have a strong legacy of state championships, including three (Boys’ Basketball, Boys’ Lacrosse, Girls’ Soccer) in the two most recent school years. In addition, ACCHS athletes are frequently recognized as some of the top athletes in the area and in the state.

Our creative and performing art students are recognized with various awards including, Freddy Nominations and Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Allentown Central Catholic is recognized Blue Ribbon “School of Excellence.”