Guidance & Counseling Services
Faculty, staff and administrators share with the family and community organizations the responsibility for providing to students the opportunities to develop physical, mental and emotional heal, civic responsibility, global awareness, and ethical and moral judgment. The Guidance and Counseling Program is responsible for helping students develop skills and abilities in the areas of learning, living, and earning. This is carried out through a guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services and school wide support services. The guidance program is an integral part of the total education program, which will encourage each student to reach their maximum intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural potential.
Each member of the Guidance Department strives to motivate each student to realize his intellectual, spiritual and social potential. Counselors meet the students in a guidance class once in every six-day cycle of classes. They also meet the students individually each semester. Counselors are available to meet students at their request. Counseling services include testing, career planning and college information and direction. Because Central Catholic is a college preparatory high school, the focus of much of the counseling is on the students’ college and career choices. A College Information Night and a Financial Aid Night are sponsored by the Guidance Department. The counselors encourage parents and guardians to arrange for conferences and to seek further information related to their son’s development at Central Catholic.
Student Assistance Programs
Central Catholic’s Student Assistance Program is intended to help the student who may be experiencing personal, family or social problems. We recognize that difficulties in these areas of a student’s life may adversely affect his ability to reach his educational goals. Four basic programs exist:
Student Support Services
Dr. Thomas Petrone, a professional counselor from the University of Pittsburgh MAPs (Maximizing Adolescent Potentials) Program, is available in the school two-three days per week. He is a certified intervention/prevention specialist, and works as a liaison between the school and community agencies that serve youth and families. Mr. Petrone works with the school Administration, teachers and guidance counselors to provide services to students with special counseling needs.
School Social Worker
Br. Colman Coogan, FSC, a licensed social worker, is on staff full-time to address specialized needs of students. The social worker may intervene when need for change in the interaction of the student, family and school is indicated. As a liaison between the family and the school, Br. Colman helps to assess the dynamics of a student’s home environment and assists in helping the student make appropriate changes that would benefit the student, and support the school’s educational objectives. Br. Colman is a member of the school’s CORE Team.
My Brother's Keeper Program
My Brother’s Keeper is a year-long freshman orientation and mentoring program designed to assist freshmen in the transition to high school. The program includes senior students serving as mentors to freshmen, enrichment tutoring and homework assistance, the Freshman Day of Reflection and the year-long Freshman Guidance curriculum. In addition, any freshman receiving a failing grade at the time of progress reports or report cards is required to participate in the after school tutoring program until a passing grade is achieved. The after school tutoring begins after the first progress reports are issued in September and runs Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-3:15 pm.
CORE Team
The CORE Team is a group of faculty members who have received training through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Saint Francis Hospital and Western Psychiatric Hospital to recognize behaviors inhibiting the educational process of our students. The inappropriate behaviors could indicate a problem with chemical abuse, depression or adjustment. The CORE Team is not punitive, disciplinary or diagnostic in nature. The Team assists only in identifying inappropriate, nonproductive behavior, and making positive recommendations to help correct or eliminate the non-productive behavior.