The 2018 Allentown Central Catholic High School Baccalaureate Mass will be held 7 p.m. May 31 at St. Thomas More in Allentown. Graduation will be held 7 p.m. June 1 in Rockne Hall. Admission to both events is by ticket only. See acchs.info/graduation-information for more information.

Central Catholic senior Emily Deschler is the female Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year. She won the Cross Country Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District XI 2A championships, after which she placed fifth for the second year in a row at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. meet.

Deschler was also the EPC Scholar Athlete for Track and Field and was a midfielder on the Vikette soccer team. She received a $10,000 scholarship for her achievements and will attend Bucknell University in the fall.

Senior football and lacrosse player Harrison Ike was a male semifinalist.

Other nominees included seniors Angela Castano (swimming), Emily Hllavac (lacrosse), Madison Faust (soccer), Margaux Eripret (basketball), Emily Pellini (volleyball) and Keeshawn Kellman (basketball).

The District XI Track and Field Championships were held May 16 to 18 at Whitehall High School. Junior Lily Atiyeh placed fourth in the girls AAA pole vault and broke her 2-week-old school record with a height of 10 feet and six inches. Seniors Emily and Alyssa Deschler were also successful at the district competition. Emily medaled third (5:06) and Alyssa took fourth (5:08) in the girls 1600 M run, both with state-qualifying times. Emily also won the girls 3200 M run with a state-qualifying time of 11:04.59.

The Viking baseball team won the District XI 4A quarterfinals May 20 against Bethlehem Catholic with a score of 8-5. The team advanced to the semifinals May 23 at Lehigh University, defeating Palisades 7-1. The Vikings competed against Northwestern in the championship May 26 at Coca-Cola Park.

The Viking lacrosse team (record of 15-5) defeated Moravian Academy 19-7 in the District XI 2A semifinals May 22. The team competed in the championship May 24 against Southern Lehigh at Lehigh University.

Two seniors will attend United States service academies. Maddie Faust will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and Katie Rieder will attend the Air Force Academy. They received their appointments at the Senior Farewell Mass and Awards Ceremony May 21.

The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science state competition was held May 20 to 22 at the Pennsylvania State University. Three Central students received first place: Natasha Kuklis, Mary Wilson and Luke Kuklis. Natasha also received a fellowship award from the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton. Michael Fleck was awarded a scholarship to Penn State.

The Central Catholic junior and senior prom was held May 11 in Billera Hall at DeSales University. Senior prom king and queen were Nick Cerimele and Molly Cari. Junior prom prince and princess were Michael Fleck and Rhyan Joyce.

Student council inductions were held May 17. The ceremony featured speeches by Student Council Advisor Elena Schanta and former Lehigh County Judge William Ford. The 2018-2019 Central Committee consists of President Sam Vaughan, Vice President Natasha Kuklis, Treasurer Josh LaRock and Secretary Lauren Minutella.

The Class of 2019 Student Council includes President Brendan Kern, Vice President Sydney Harris, Treasurer Emily Kidd and Secretary Rhyan Joyce.

National Honor Society 2018-2019 officer elections were held May 21. The new officers include President Alex Strohl, Vice President Ryan Schanta, Treasurer Michael Fleck and Secretary Julia Santos.

Central Catholic continues to reach out to the community as the school year winds down. The Best Friends Forever Club held an end-of-the-year bowling party with their buddies from Mercy Special Learning Center May 14. The Central City Project held a community dinner May 16 at Immaculate Conception Church. The meal, which welcomed all members of the Allentown community, featured burritos, strawberry shortcake and an acoustic performance by junior Gracia Rother.

The Art and Beauty Retreat was May 17 at Roey’s Paintbox in downtown Allentown. Students spent the afternoon painting with Roey Ebert, the owner of the store.

Viking Fest was held May 19 at Vault 634. The event was held in honor of the late James M. Hodrick; his 2018 Semper Fidelis award was presented to his family. The night raised nearly $110,000 to benefit Central Catholic.

The Class of 2020 Student Council held a karaoke night May 24. The night was a huge success and a great opportunity for students to show off their vocal talents.

The 2018 Basketball Skills Academy for boys entering sixth to ninth grade will be held 8:30 a.m. to noon July 16 to 19 at the Walson Center at St. John Vianney in Allentown; there is a cost. The clinic is set up for those invested in improving their basketball skills. Important abilities such as defensive fundamentals and shooting will be emphasized. To register and for more information, visit vikingsbasketballcamps.com.