Bishop David Zubik Appoints New Principal for Central Catholic High School
PITTSBURGH –Central Catholic High School is celebrating an historic moment in its nearly 100-year existence, as it prepares to welcome a new principal, effective July 1, 2024.
Mr. John Wallace will be the first lay person to hold this position.
In his Letter of Appointment to Mr. Wallace, Bishop David Zubik expressed his gratitude for the gifts and talents Mr. Wallace brings to Central Catholic. "Of particular importance is your desire to serve the Catholic mission and identity of our schools,” Bishop Zubik wrote. “The strengthening and sustaining of our Catholic schools and their Catholic identity is of the highest importance for the future of our Church.”
Mr. Wallace comes to Central Catholic after serving as the Dean of Student Affairs at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. Jesuit Dallas is one of the largest all boys’ Catholic high schools in the United States with an enrollment of nearly 1,200 students and over 200 faculty and staff.
“I am wholeheartedly committed to upholding and enhancing the Catholic, Lasallian mission of Central Catholic and I am looking forward to collaborating with the mission-driven men and women of 4720 Fifth Avenue to continue to make Central Catholic a place where young men come to develop their intellectual competence, conscience, compassion and a commitment to doing God's work in the world,” said Wallace.
“I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to Central Catholic's rich history of forming ‘men of faith, scholarship, and service.’”
As a senior administrator, Mr. Wallace was responsible for managing student activities, community outreach initiatives, and student formation and discipline. His career has been dedicated to Catholic education.
The school conducted a national search for its principal and sought the input of the school community, including students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Since 1927, Central Catholic has strived to ensure that the young men entrusted to its care receive a Catholic, Lasallian education rooted in Gospel values. “After a thorough search process, we are confident that Mr. Wallace is prepared to enthusiastically embrace the school's Catholic Lasallian mission to continue the tradition of and foster a sense of brotherhood and community among the students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni,” says Central Catholic President Matthew J. Stoessel, ’95. “He brings a clear commitment to Catholic education and an understanding of the unique student experience at an all-boys Catholic school.”
“On behalf of the Christian Brothers, I want to thank the Central Catholic Board and search committee for a very thorough and intentional search for the next principal. The Brothers will continue to collaborate with the school administration to provide quality formation for all faculty and leadership that will ensure the Lasallian identity and mission of Central Catholic as it gets ready to mark its centennial,” said Brother Robert Schaefer, FSC, Provincial for the District of Eastern North America.
