Deacon Pat Cunningham, principal of Central Catholic High School, has announced his retirement. His last day will be June 30, 2009.

“I have asked and received permission from the Board of Directors and president of Central Catholic to take retirement one year early in order to pursue new directions in my ministry and to spend more time with my family,” Cunningham said.

A Central Catholic graduate from the Class of 1964, Cunningham has been associated with the school for 48 years. He taught chemistry, science and music for 10 years beginning in 1970. Between 1980 and 2000, he worked in the insurance and financial services businesses as a registered representative for Mass Mutual before returning to the school as assistant principal in 2000.  He was named principal early in 2001.

 During the years of his principalship, the school has acknowledged the following accomplishments:

From the low point of enrollment in 2003-05, Cunningham worked to increase enrollment by 9.3 percent, including  5 percent between 2007 and 2008.

He recruited and retained faculty, increasing the overall number of masters degree holders by 40 percent.

Cunningham was instrumental in returning the Sodality program to Central Catholic. This decision has grounded our student leaders in Marianist spirituality and service-orientation, and has been instrumental in developing an interest among graduates in full-time ministry.

He also enriched the Liturgy program, giving retreats and seminars and encouraging the development of the choir and Latin chant choirs.

Cunningham edited the new edition of the Physics I book, “Patterns and Processes in Science,” and wrote the Speech Communications textbook used at Central Catholic.

“Deacon Cunningham has made a valuable contribution to Central Catholic High School, for which we are most appreciative. We wish him well in his future endeavors and pray for special blessings over his family,” Rev. Joseph Tarrillion, president of Central Catholic High School, said. “I am grateful for the wholehearted support that I have been given over the not-quite nine years of my service at Central Catholic. I pray that the spiritual and academic growth we have seen since I arrived in 2000 will continue.”