The strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” accompanied 69 Mount St. Mary Academy young Mercy women in procession for their June 1 graduation from the “Mount.”
Bishop James F. Checchio joined Mount Saint Mary Academy Directress Mercy Sister Lisa D. Gambacorto, families, faculty, staff, administrators and Board of Trustee members for the ceremony held in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Their Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated in the Chapel, May 31, led by Msgr. William Benwell, pastor, St. Mary’s-Stony Hill, Watchung.
In her welcoming address, salutatorian Lillian Del Rossi asked her classmates to reflect on the present moment and to be mindful they are “approaching a time of great change. Soon, we will embark on entirely new journeys in college. As I have no idea what the future holds, today, I want to reflect on an experience that’s remained shockingly unchanged: the winding drive up the hill each day. Even though it has become second nature to drive up the twists and turns of the hill, this steep, upwards path reminds me of the change that we will soon face. Throughout your journey, you may find yourself constantly and unexpectedly being thrown in different directions. Let your faith be your guiding light.”
She encouraged them to “take the chance to reflect on what memories stand out most to you about the Mount. Think about how they have shaped your faith. … Let it prompt you to lead with humility and compassion as you make your mark on the world. Your drive up the hill is about to get a whole lot bigger as you face the many upcoming changes. When it comes to change, you can either fight it or make the best out of it.”
Assistant Directress Jacqueline C. Muratore, class of ‘01, presented the members of the Class of 2024, followed by the conferring of diplomas, as each graduate shook hands with James N. Lawler, Board Chairman; Bishop Checchio and Sister Lisa. The distribution of individual awards followed, after which the faculty and staff sang “Find Your Wings,” for the graduates.
Valedictorian Nina Heim offered a retrospective of the many varied experiences of the high school years that played a part in graduates’ formation and shared an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit: “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Heim reflected that in their small school community, “we were enabled and encouraged to become, to become our real selves. … We really have been loved well by the Mount and by each other and by God, and we are all the better for it.”
In his closing comments, Bishop Checchio offered thanks “to Sister Lisa, administrators, teachers and parents for your sacrifices. You won’t regret it.” He reminded those present to “take Jesus with you … and please pray for me,” and then concluded with his blessing.
As the ceremony came to an end, graduates processed out of the chapel with diplomas in hand to the sound of applause, as faculty, staff, administration and members of the Board clapped them out on the next stage of their journey, a tradition that began when graduates were freshmen and clapped in through the main doors by the entire school community lining the school stairs and hallway.
This year’s graduates earned more than $25 million in scholarships and awards, with a college acceptance rate of 100 percent at four-year colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. One hundred percent of graduates intend to enroll in institution of higher learning.