While the 2022 – 2023 school term marks the first academic year of Brother Michael Andrejko’s role as principal of Central Catholic, he is no stranger to 4720 Fifth Avenue. Brother Mike started walking the quadrangle in 1982 as a freshman and later returned to Central Catholic as Campus Minister in the early 2000s.

Brother Mike recalls the first time he stepped foot in Central’s hallowed halls, remembering, “I was scared to death, really. I came from a public grade school and had absolutely no idea if I could make it here.” Despite these early worries, Brother Mike found his place within the Central Catholic community.

Now, over 35 years removed from his time as a student, he credits Central Catholic as a major contributor to the person that he is today: “At its core, Central Catholic teaches you to believe in yourself. Central calls out the potential in each of its students. Being challenged by your teachers and fellow brothers really brought out the things people saw in me that I couldn’t see in myself at the time.”

When Brother Mike received the call to lead his alma mater, he simply couldn’t say no. “The transition was ideal – I’m a graduate, I’ve taught here, and I’ve been living on campus with the Brothers for 5 years.” After taking time to pray about the decision, Brother Mike knew that returning to Central Catholic was the next logical step in his vocational calling.

Brother Mike’s administration is beginning at a time of profound transition for Central Catholic. The school experienced an abnormally high turnover rate last year, resulting in the loss of over 120 combined years of teaching experience. As Central sought to replace veteran teachers like Mr. Campbell, Mr. Roche, and Mr. Ciarmella, there were 9 new hires across all departments, including 1 new administrator.

Despite endemic teacher shortages, Central Catholic is looking to cement its place in a post-pandemic world. As Catholic feeder schools merge and close in accordance with the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s long-term strategic plan, it will be necessary to expand admissions outreach to ensure the school does not see a decline in students.

This draws a parallel with the infrastructure improvements earmarked for Central’s campus in the coming years. Brother Mike sees these developments in line with the Lasallian tradition, as he explains, “People are very much moved by the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle — they realize that to create a better world, we need to invest in our student experience, faculty, staff, and the future of our campus.”

Brother Mike hopes to leverage his previous administrative experience in his new role at Central: “I’ve been an administrator at West Philadelphia Catholic High School and at St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C., so I’ve seen the spectrum of both rich and poor.” Brother Mike is confident that he will continue to ensure that a Central Catholic education is accessible to everyone, regardless of socio-economic status.

As Brother Mike settles into his new office, he wishes to deliver this message to students and faculty: “First, don’t get stuck in the mindset that ‘we’ve always done it this way.’ Change is both normal and important. Second, please pray for me. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here. As we all get a little more comfortable, I know our relationship will continue to grow.”

From all of us at The Viking, we wish Brother Michael Andrejko success as the new principal of Central Catholic!