Congratulations to Central Catholic Class of 2022!!!

Central Catholic High School’s Class of 2022 graduated on Sunday, May 22.  The Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, and the 102nd commencement ceremony was held in the Sullivan Center.

Members of the Class of 2022 earned over $4 million in college scholarship money and were accepted into 284 different colleges and universities, including:

Bowling Green State University, Colorado State University, Eastern Michigan, Howard University, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Ohio Wesleyan, Siena Heights, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, and the United States Air Force Academy.

The class earned many honors and distinctions.  Here are some of the highlights:

Valedictorian: Abigail Bluhm - Abby was a National Honor Society officer, a member of the Insignis Society, Student Council, Sideline Spirit, yearbook staff, and Campaign for Kindness, a volleyball and softball captain, tutor, and retreat leader.  She will attend Ohio State University.

Salutatorian: Jack Bremer - Jack was a member of the National Honor Society and Insignis Society, played baseball for the Fighting Irish, and was a retreat leader.  He will attend the University of Toledo, majoring in mechanical engineering.

Heritage Speaker: Amaar Zarrieff - Amaar was a member of the National Honor Society, the Glee Club, Student Senate, the African-American Club, soccer and tennis teams, and the Centric student newspaper staff.  He will attend Howard University to major in film and television.  The Heritage Award was established on the 60th anniversary of the school for two reasons: one, to address the question of the heritage of Central Catholic High School and two, to assure that both the gentlemen and ladies of the class are represented as speakers during the commencement exercises.  When a lady and a gentleman are valedictorian and salutatorian, the student holding the third spot in the ranking point scale is selected to give the Heritage Address. 

The Bishop’s Cross
The highest honor bestowed upon any graduate of a Catholic High School in the Diocese of Toledo is the Bishop's Cross, which dates back to the year 1873.  It is given to one boy and one girl from the graduating class.  Students who receive the Bishop’s Cross are Catholic students who clearly strive to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.  They manifest an active life of Christian charity in the way they relate to and serve their neighbor.  These students are respectful, kind, virtuous, considerate, authentic, positive, have a strong moral character and prayer life, respect, and a love for learning.  The Class of 2022 Bishop’s Cross recipients are:

Nathaniel Francis
Nathanial was a member of the National Honor Society, the Glee Club, Student Council, Student Senate, Spiritual Commission, the tennis team, Sideline Spirit, and he was a Mass server.  He will attend Bowling Green State University to study criminal justice.

Isabella Spinazze
Isabella was president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Spiritual Commission, Homecoming Court, and Sideline Spirit, a 3-year captain of the tennis team, a pep rally emcee, and a tutor.  She will attend Hillsdale College.

John Philip Sousa Award - Rilie Lovitz
John Philip Sousa was not only a renowned composer and bandleader; he was also a strong supporter of school music programs.  Since its inauguration in 1954, the John Philip Sousa Award has been given to thousands of outstanding high school band seniors for superior musicianship, leadership, dependability, and loyalty.  The John Philip Sousa Award for Band is the most prestigious award for high school band students, and recipients are added to the national database, and become a part of the historical record for the award.  To qualify, the recipient must be a senior and have demonstrated superior commitment and musicianship to our band program.

Robert L. Fondessy Scholarship - Chloe Woods 
The Robert L. Fondessy Family Fund provides an annual college scholarship to a graduate of Central Catholic High School.  Fondessy was one of the founding fathers of the city of Oregon in 1957.  The recipient of this scholarship exhibits excellence in the areas of academic achievement, extra-curricular involvement, and school spirit.  Chloe was a member of the honor roll, Student Council, Glee Club, Gospel Choir, the African American Club, Students4Change, and the May Crowning Court.  She was also a cheer captain and a tutor.  She will attend the University of Toledo to study biology.

The Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Awards - Brinn Hunt and Joshua Lee
These are awarded to a senior male and female student who have displayed exemplary sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity.

The OHSAA Scholar-Athlete Awards - Jennifer Pryer and Amaar Zarrieff
This award recognizes the senior boy and girl with the highest grade point average who have received a minimum of four varsity letters in all sports combined.

The Margaret Mary Volz Scholar-Athlete Award and The Tom McHugh Award are presented to the one female and one male student athlete meeting the following criteria:  each has lettered in at least two sports this year; each has maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average after seven semesters; each has maintained a good discipline record, and each is the top ranking student athlete according to the awards criteria as established by the Athletic Committee of the CCHS Board of Directors.
Abigail Bluhm and Samuel Lee

Servant Leadership Awards
Through their commitment and passion to service, these students excelled beyond all others - each has recorded 100 or more hours of service and surpassed the required amount of service hours during their time at Central Catholic:
Alexa Arenas Katherine Lach
Lillian Buchholz Sophia Poling
Brynn Drabek Bartholomew Reamer
Hannah Koch Morgan Traver
Carrington Kynard Claire Whipple

These seniors were recognized as having submitted on record the most hours of service of the class of 2022 during their four years at Central Catholic:
Carrington Kynard and Bartholomew Reamer

The Reverend James E. Steinle Senior Leadership Award is given in honor of a former principal of Central Catholic.  Father Steinle was a person who exhibited leadership by example, as well as by words and programs, often without any formal recognition for himself.  This award recognizes seniors who have demonstrated strong qualities of leadership and service, also without receiving formal recognition.  The recipient of this award is a leader without necessarily holding an office of any kind.  It is the character and example of the individual that has earned them this honor.  The recipients were Amaar Zarrief and Claire Whipple.

The Revs. Robert and Martin Donnelly Christian Discipleship Award is named in honor of Central Catholic Alumni, the Very Reverend Robert Donnelly (class of 1949) and his brother, the Reverend Martin Donnelly (class of 1956).  Following their Christian formation at Central Catholic, both were ordained priests for the Diocese of Toledo, with Robert later being ordained a Bishop.  Fr. Marty served as principal, then Pastor-President of Central Catholic.  Both Bishop and Father Donnelly devoted themselves to the ongoing formation of young people into Christian Disciples as well as many Ecumenical efforts.  The Donnelly Christian Discipleship Award is presented to students who exemplify the life of a Disciple of Jesus Christ - seeking to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor.  This year the Donnelly Christian Discipleship Awards were presented to Joshua Watson and Gabrielle Sensenstein.