1913    Central Catholic begins as a two-year commercial school in the basement of Sacred Heart School. As enrollment increased, a large private home on the corner of 4th and Chew Streets was purchased and used until 1926. 

 

1925    Monsignor Peter Masson, then rector of Sacred Heart parish, decided to convert the school to a four year high school. The work on the renovation of the private home, where the Masson building stands today, began in June 1925. 

 

February 17, 1926    Monsignor Peter Masson passes away. Work on the renovation of the private home to a school building ceases. Students temporarily resume taking classes in the basement of the Sacred Heart grade school building.

 

September 1926    The first freshman class enrolled in CCHS. Students studied a rigorous curriculum that included: Ethics, Latin, Hygiene, English, Biology, Art, Bookkeeping, Stenography, Typing, Secretarial Training, Mathematics, Chemistry, German, Religion,and Social Science. Additionally, students were offered opportunities in vocal and instrumental music — both orchestra (50 pieces) and band — as well as athletics (which only included Boys Basketball for the first four years.) Dramatics and a Senior Dance were added in by the end of the year.

 

March 20, 1927    Monsignor Leo G. Fink, VF, replaces Monsignor Masson and formulates a new plan for the school. On this date, the cornerstone is laid on an entirely new structure at the site of the original school building on Fourth and Chew Streets.

 

October 30, 1927    The Monsignor Masson Memorial Building is dedicated by his Eminence, Cardinal Dougherty of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. 

 

1929 -1930    Central Catholic High School becomes an accredited member of the National Association of Student Councils of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

 

June 6, 1930    CCHS receives state recognition and graduates its first class, consisting of five girls and on boy — Agnes “Connie” Annas, Mary “Marie” Bolez, Edith “De” Hoffman, Pauline “Polly” Kehs, Anna “Pat” Lane, and Anthony “Tony” Vollmer. Semper Fidelis — “Always Faithful” — becomes the school motto. Green (symbolizing the Theological Virtue of Hope) and Gold (representing “The Golden Rule”) are selected as the school colors. The first edition of the Glen Echoes yearbook is published.

 

1930    The Nerz Building of Sacred Heart School was acquired to accommodate the growing student population. It was located a few doors down from Monsignor Masson Memorial building. Athletics expands to include both Football and Track & Field for boys.

 

1931    Baseball is added to the athletics offering for boys.

 

1935    Girls Varsity Basketball is added to the list of sports programs.

 

1937    Vikings adopted as the official mascot.

 

1938    CCHS draws students from beyond the city limits. Students hailing from 17 different parishes attend the school including: St. Andrew (Catasaqua), Most Blessed Sacrament (Bally), St. Catherine of Siena (now Cathedral of St. Catherine of Siena), St. Francis, Immaculate Conception, St. John (Stiles), St. John, St. Lawrence - Catasaqua, St. Mary - Catasaqua, Our Lady Help of Christians, Our Lady of Hungary (now Queenship of Mary), Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Paul, St. Peter (Coplay), St. Stephen, Sacred Heart, and Sacred Heart (Bath). Course offerings expand to include General, Industrial and Home Economics.

 

1939    The school newspaper, The Seneschal is first published. By 1949, The Seneschal earned the highest awards from the National and Pennsylvania Scholastic Press Association — All-American and First Honors. Additionally, it was one out of three school newspapers in Pennsylvania to merit the George H. Gallup Award, achieved for improvement and leadership maintained over a period of years and for community and national projects. The Seneschal is also a member of the Quill and Scroll Honorary Society for High School journalists.

 

1941    Construction begins on Rockne Hall, cornerstone laid by his Eminence Cardinal Dougherty.

 

1942    Funding the construction of Rockne Hall during World War II proved to be difficult. To get the project completed, everyone in the community pitched in — including the CCHS students themselves who famously raised $221.48 entirely in pennies to help fund construction. With the construction on Rockne Hall completed, the new gym was dedicated in September 1942. Enrollment was 622 students representing 30 parishes in the Lehigh Valley. The faculty consisted of 12 Sisters of St. Francis, two Sisters of St. Joseph, two Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, two Sister-Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, two School-Sisters of St. Francis (Pittsburgh), four Priests and five Lay Teachers.

 

December 10, 1942    The inaugural basketball game in Rockne Hall was played against the Trojans of South Whitehall. More than 3,000 fans (maximum capacity 3,500) packed Rockne Hall and watched the Vikings defeat South Whitehall 40-26. Adding to the excitement of the game was Madison Square Garden referee, Pat Kennedy. Many distinguished sports writers and commentators attended the game, as well.

 

1943    Allentown Catholic High School (the parochial high school of Immaculate Conception Parish) merged with Central Catholic High School (the parochial high school of Sacred Heart Parish) to form Allentown Central Catholic High School. Activities expanded to include: Student Government Association, Student Journalism, Oratory and Art. Cheerleading and Girls Basketball were added to the athletic offerings.

 

December 26, 1944    Due to a fire at Sacred Heart church, parish activities, a wedding, events for Sacred Heart Hospital Nursing School, and Sunday Masses were celebrated in Rockne Hall. Additionally, the funeral for service member, Henry Binder (KIA World War II) also took place at Rockne Hall and Masson Hall, respectively.

 

1945    First Boys Basketball State Championship! The program would continue to grow into a state powerhouse, consistently qualifying for State Championship tournaments and ultimately hosting the PCIAA Championship titles in 1952 and 1956. 

 

1947    Due to increased populations in both Allentown and Bethlehem after the conclusion of World War II, additional classrooms are added to Rockne Hall. ACCHS became the largest co-educational school in Eastern Pennsylvania.

 

December 10, 1947    The Trapp Family singers (the real-life inspiration behind The Sound of Music) performed at Rockne Hall.

 

1948    The Alpha Omega chapter of the National Honor Society receives its charter from the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools.

 

1949    The Annual Retreat, May Procession, Baccalaureate Mass, Religion class and Friday weekly Masses help the student body grow in every aspect of student life — athletics, dramatics, civic functions, and social affairs. Thus, our students develop spiritually, culturally, physically, and socially into exemplary citizens of the Community. Adapted from the 1949 opening pages of the Glen Echoes yearbook.

 

1950s    Boys and Girls gym classes continue to be separated with the boys participating in Rockne Hall with the girls classes held in Masson Hall.

 

1951    25th Anniversary of the School’s founding.

 

January 1952    The Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals in Rockne Hall.

 

June 1955    The 1950s included some of the largest graduating classes with over 260 young men and women. It also brought together some of the largest crowds ever assembled in Rockne Hall. It is estimated that the 1957 graduation crowd surpassed the 3,500 person capacity for Rockne Hall and totaled more than 4,000 persons.

 

1957    Carroll Hall, located at 6th and Chew Sts. was acquired and dedicated by his Eminence, John Cardinal O’Hara, become the Freshmen Annex.

 

1958    The semi-pro basketball team, Allentown Jets, began playinf their home games at Rockne Hall, to become a proving ground for NBA talent. The tight and raucous atmosphere of the crowd made the Jets almost impossible to defeat inside Rockne Hall. Sadly, the partnership with the Allentown Jets ended in 1978 due to the league’s rapid expansion. They became part of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). In all, 27 different New York Knicks players spent time wearing the Jets uniform at Rockne Hall. 

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1959    The CCHS Variety Show, an annual fall event since 1933, thrilled the crowd gathered in Rockne Hall! The cast of hundreds from “Keep Your Sunny Side Up” inspired the audience with the Viking Dance Band, Student Chorus, Student Dancers and comedians. Under the direction of Mr. Joseph Fink, the band, orchestra, and chorus entertained crowds again at Rockne Hall during the “Musicale in the Spring.” 

 

1959    The Quill is introduced as a literary publication. It is a compilation of various students’ features, essays, stories and poetry.

 

January 28, 1961    The Diocese of Allentown is established; five counties including, Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Carbon, Schuylkill separate from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. 

 

April 11, 1961    Bishop Joseph McShea was installed as the founding Bishop of Allentown. 

 

1961    The 1961 NBA Champion, Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell, played an exhibition game against the Jets, defeating the home team 120-106 in Rockne Hall.

 

1963    Commodore Barry Hall constructed to accommodate the increasing need of the Allentown Central Catholic family.

 

1966    Wrestling is added to the interscholastic competitive sports offerings. 

 

1967    Under the direction of the legendary Frank Ferraro, the ACCHS Marching Band wins the National AAA Championship. Other

notable performances include being selected for major televised and national events. They were awarded the “Honor Band Award” at the Indianapolis 500 Festival (1969), the International Festival in Toledo (1970), and back-to-back Miss America Pageant Parades (1970 and 1972).

 

1969    Carroll Hall closes as the Freshmen Annex. Don Caldarelli becomes the first individual PCIAA state champion in Wrestling (180 lbs). Adding to the list of PCIAA State Wrestling Champions in the school’s history are Jack Edwards (Heavyweight) in 1970 and Ed Emerich (154 lbs) in 1972.

 

1971    The ACCHS Marching Band wins the prestigious Festival of States National Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida. They would go on to win the competition again in 1971 and 1983.

 

June 1972    Title IX of the Education Amendment was signed into law. ACCHS leaves the PCIAA and joins the PIAA. 

 

1973    Girls Basketball wins their first State Championship with pioneer Head Coach, Sister Ida Marie. This also marks the first State Championship under the new rules which were changed from the 6 on 6 format “girls rules” to the traditional 5 on 5 format used by the boys. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to change the rule to reflect some of the goals of Title IX. 

 

1974    The PCIAA (Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association) is dissolved. 

 

1975    Allentown Central Catholic joins the newly created East Penn League (Conference) which was expanded significantly to absorb the area’s shifting high school landscapes.

 

July 1976    The United States Olympic Men’s Basketball team defeated the Allentown Jets (122-103) in an exhibition game in Rockne Hall. The USA team traveled to Montreal for the Olympic Games where they won the Gold medal. This year was also the 50th Anniversary of the school’s founding.

 

1978    Girls Basketball wins their second State Championship.

 

1984    The Vikings win the Boys Basketball State Championship! They would go on to win PIAA State Titles in 1986 and during the 2020-

2021 season. The staff of The Seneschal captured all the excitement of these State Championship runs.

 

1984    ACCHS awarded their first of three Blue Ribbon awards.

 

1989    Billy McCaffrey becomes the first ACCHS male athlete to be named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in Boys Basketball. 

 

1991    Michelle Marchiniak becomes the first ACCHS female athlete to be named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in Girls Basketball.

 

1993    ACCHS wins its first of three State Championships in Football! The other titles were earned in 1998 and 2010. Along with State Championship titles, ACCHS has also collected 14 District XI titles, the most recent included three consecutive titles in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

 

1993    ACCHS awarded our second Blue Ribbon award.

 

1995    The Atrium connecting the Rockne Hall building, Masson building and Barry Hall is opened to help students navigate to their various classes without having to go outside between classes.

 

1998    ACCHS Catholic awarded out third Blue Ribbon award — one of only 166 schools in the country who were awarded that year. At the time, ACCHS became one of only twenty-three schools that received the award three times. 

 

2000-2001    Girls Basketball begins their historic run in the PIAA championships, winning their first of four consecutive State Championships under legendary coach Mike Kopp (the winningest coach in Pennsylvania). The Girls Basketball team compiled an impressive record of 1045-277, five PIAA State Championships (1987, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004), 21 District titles, 18 Conference Championships, in 42 years of coaching the Vikettes.

 

2001    75th Anniversary of the School’s founding. The girls volleyball team captures the first of its four State Championships (including 2007, 2008 and 2016.) The Girls Cross Country team wins their first State Title; anchored by Frances Koons who would win the individual State Championship in Girls Cross Country in 2003 and also earn a gold medal first place finish for the mile in the Track & Field State Championship in 2004. 

 

2002    David Rivera becomes the first PIAA State Champion in Wrestling at 160 lbs.

 

2003    Under the direction of Principal Father Frans Berkhout and John Gribowich (Theology Teacher and Assistant Campus Minister), the school began its Forty Hours Devotion. This two day schoolwide event centered around devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

 

2007    Initial phases of what will become the Central City Project begin under the direction of John Gribowich. The vision of the Central City Project borrows from the Catholic Worker Movement and seeks to bridge the gap between suburban commuting students and the local inner-city community. The name of the initiative became official during the 2010 school year. 

 

2008    The 70 seat Monsignor Stephan Daday Memorial Chapel of Notre Dame du Lac in Barry is dedicated; offering daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. A Confessional was added in 2025 for students, faculty, and staff to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Science Olympiad team sees a historic run for ACCHS, finishing in first place during the 2008, 2009, 2011-2014, and another EPC conference title in 2023. In the State Competition, the team finished 16th out of 35 teams, placing ACCHS near the top of the Commonwealth in this elite science and engineering competition. The teams accomplished this feat in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Diver Catherine Rose begins her dominance at the PIAA Swimming and Diving State Championships winning gold in 2008, 2009 and 2010. 

 

2010    ACCHS caps off an impressive 16-0 undefeated season in Football, capturing the State Championship! The team was led by PA Gatorade Player of the Year QB Brendan Nosovitch. The Central City Project Amy Sullivan Memorial Urban Garden provides for the Food Pantry, as well as the famous Viking Salsa and Hot Shots (Hot Sauce).

 

2011    The Campus Ministry program begins to offer Kairos retreats to seniors two or three times a year.

 

2012    ACCHS won its first Freddy Award for their production of “Seussical.” The school took home two Freddy’s including: Outstanding Overall Production by a Smaller School and Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Won by Matt Gurniak ‘12 for his performance as the Cat in the Hat). Sydney Stinner wins the PIAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship in the 200 yard Freestyle.

 

2015    The Day-Maurin Service Society is created for those students who go above and beyond the call to service with their service to the community through the Central City Project.

 

2016    Swimmer Gabe Castano captures his first of back-to-back State Titles in the Swimming and Diving competitions, winning gold in the 50 meter Freestyle (2016, 2017) and the 100 meter Freestyle in 2017.

 

2019    The Central City Project expands to offer a Food Pantry with distributions once a month to the local community. 

 

March 2020    The pandemic suspends the 2019-2020 in-person academic school year. Students and teachers continue the academic year virtually. Baccalaureate and Graduation for the Class of 2020 are held at the end of July.

 

2021    Another historic year at 4th and Chew as three teams capture State Championship titles (Boys Basketball, Boys Lacrosse (first District XI team to win the State Title) and Girls Soccer (first State title in Girls Soccer with a stunning victory scoring two goals in the final three minutes of the game).

 

2024    Clark Gulycz becomes the first State Champion in Track & Field State Championships winning gold in the Shot Put.

 

2026    Boys Basketball captures their 24th District XI title (the most of any District XI school) and completes another four-peat in the process. The latest chapter cements the legendary status of basketball at 4th and Chew and historic Rockne Hall. The ACCHS Theatre department reaches the pinnacle of the Freddy Awards again — winning two Freddy awards for their production of Disney’s Frozen: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Won by Briana Bauer and Outstanding Performance by a Female Ensemble Member: Won by Ella Muckey. Allentown Central Catholic is named #1 Best Catholic High School in the Lehigh Valley by Niche for the sixth year in a row!

 

2026-2027    Our Centennial celebration begins at 4th and Chew! The school welcomes the FreshmenCclass of 2030 which will become kick off our next century of graduates at Allentown Central Catholic High School.