Signature Programs
The Brother David S. Baginski, FSC Scholars Program
The Brother David S. Baginski, FSC Scholars Program at Central Catholic High School follows an Honors College model and provides a challenging, enriched academic experience for high-achieving juniors and seniors through an interdisciplinary, multifaceted liberal arts program.
About the Program:
Each year, Central Catholic High School inducts a small number of outstanding sophomores into The Brother David S. Baginski, FSC Scholars Program. This is a highly-selective two-year program for juniors and seniors of exceptional merit and potential. It offers intellectually stimulating curricular and extracurricular activities.
To be admitted to the program, students complete an application and interview process in their sophomore year. Eligible sophomores must have taken a minimum of three AP or Honors courses, demonstrate an ability to work at a minimum GPA level of 3.5, commit to three years of foreign language study, and demonstrate innovative ability, intellectual curiosity, and interest in social causes.
In addition to programming, forums, and symposia throughout the year, the Brother David S. Baginski, FSC Scholars Program offers cultural immersion trips to major US cities and a study abroad program in the summer.
The Engineering Institute
The Engineering Institute at Central Catholic offers a curriculum of hands-on, teamwork-oriented coursework to students considering an engineering career after high school.
About the Program:
What is engineering? What do engineers do? Is the engineering field a good fit for me? The goal of the Engineering Institute at Central Catholic (EICC) is to provide students opportunities, through a combination of coursework, resources and outside of the classroom experiences, to answer these questions and allow them to make informed decisions about pursuing an engineering career.
EICC students will be engaged in an intellectually challenging, hands-on and relevant curriculum with coursework and experiences designed to foster creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and communication to give them exposure to engineering careers and prepare them for entry into a college engineering program.
Bishop McDowell Program
Designed to facilitate student success through the development and reinforcement of necessary skills, the Bishop McDowell Program encourages students, through a variety of individually designed activities, to become thoroughly familiar with their own learning styles. Students in the Bishop McDowell Program attend regular classes and participate fully in the co-curricular life of the school, but have scheduled time for assistance and skill-building to enable them to progress in the college preparatory curriculum.
About the Program:
When students understand how they learn best, they can then begin to apply strategies that work for them in the classroom, while completing homework, and when preparing for exams. Concurrently, the Director of the Bishop McDowell Program works with the Central Catholic faculty to help them understand each student’s learning style and the related implications for classroom practices.
Students work on:
- Techniques for approaching faculty with questions and concerns
- Note-taking
- Techniques for test-taking
- Time management
- Organization
- Memorization techniques
- Peer communication
- Appropriate and productive use of technology