Campaign Chronicles Fall 2024

Dubois Central Catholic Looking to the Future

The Capital Campaign is Growing!

Since announcing the campaign to the public in September 2024, Looking to the Future: The Campaign for DuBois Central Catholic has raised nearly $1.5 million. We cannot thank our supporters enough. Including early donations and pledges, the campaign has reached $5.8 million in donations and pledges. While we are still in the early stages of the campaign, community support has been remarkable. Thank you so much for your support of our school!

Not only has fundraising grown, the campaign has added additional committee members. Carol Korthaus, Larry and Carol Barber have all agreed to work on the committee. Carol has been involved with DuBois Central Catholic for decades. She taught at the school from 1987-2021, and is still a regular substitute teacher at the school. During her career at DCC, Carol taught a number of courses for the high school English department, and was involved in the yearbook, drama club, and school musicals. Carol still volunteers as the school’s mock trial team facilitator, helping the students learn how to present and argue their cases. She’s been the go-to auctioneer for most of the school’s fundraisers and events over the past thirty years as well.

Larry and Carol Barber also have a long history with the school. Carol is a graduate of the school, and she and Larry are parents to four DCC alumni. They have devoted countless hours to DCC, including serving on the school board. We welcome them to the campaign, and thank them for their years of dedication to DuBois Central Catholic School.

DuBois Central Catholic School's Curriculum is Growing, Too!

DuBois Central Catholic continues to evaluate courses being offered to students. Last year, after DuBois Central Catholic School (DCC) began offering a class on investments and finance, it became evident that an expanded business curriculum would be a welcome addition. “Roughly one-third of last-year’s senior class expressed an interest in pursuing degrees in various sectors of the business world,” explains teacher Andy Sutton. “Statistically, over half of our students will be involved in a business at some point in their careers. Courses that educate them will remove some of the anxiety associated with owning a business.”

DCC’s new business program is already showing impressive results. In December, DCC business students competed against over 120 students from across the district at the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) District 1 regional conference. Students at the conference competed against one another on a variety of business topics. Three DCC students were awarded with gold medals at the event: Matson Gritzer and Isabelle Cebulskie won the Financial Services Team Competition, and Michael Zuchelli-Schram won the Principles of Finance individual category. Anthony Holdren won a silver medal in the Principles of Marketing individual category. In February, these students will compete at Hershey, PA against other district winners during the Pennsylvania State Championship. The kids are looking forward to the competition.

High school students aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the new business curriculum. DuBois Central Catholic School also offers an introductory business course for eighth grade students. The course utilizes the DECA curriculum, which emphasizes marketing and entrepreneurship. According to teacher Andy Sutton, “The text is geared more towards high school students, but the 8th graders are doing great with it so far and they’re excited about it. I can’t get them to stop talking about business!”

These students are currently working with Atlas Pressed Metals for the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” video contest. The contest, created by the Manufacturer’s Resource Center and managed in the North Central PA region by Workforce Solutions for North Central PA, invites students to produce a video profile of a local manufacturing company. Students visited the Atlas facility several times to interview company employees and learn about different aspects of the business, and have compiled over six hours of audio and video recordings. They are using these recordings to create a 2.5-minute video ad for the company.The video will soon be available for viewing at the contest website: whatssocool.org/contests/north-central/. In March of 2025, prizes for best video and viewer’s choice will be awarded in the North Central Workforce Development Area encompassing McKean, Potter, Cameron, Elk, Jefferson and Clearfield Counties.

DuBois Central Catholic School’s new business program encompasses a wide variety of course offerings. Under the direction of Sutton, students are educated on current financial and business trends, business law, entrepreneurship, investment strategies, and global business. Most importantly, they are learning financial literacy. The business curriculum includes five courses: Personal Finance, Investments and Finance, Accounting, Business Fundamentals and Law, and Entrepreneurship and Special Topics in Global Business. The latter three courses are dual-enrollment eligible through Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.

Parents wanting to learn more about DuBois Central Catholic School educational opportunities can visit the school’s website at www.duboiscatholic.com. Private school tours and enrollment information sessions are offered daily.