Top photo caption: After the Baccalaureate Mass, St. Mary, Middletown’s Class of 2026 gathered for a group photo with Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor, Deacon Chris McNicholas and the school’s head master, Jeffrey Johnson.
By EmmaLee Italia, Contributing Editor
Catholic elementary schools across the Diocese of Trenton were jubilant as the Class of 2026 donned caps and gowns to say goodbye to eighth grade.
Prepared with the foundations of faith and academic excellence, the 737 graduates from the 25 Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese are ready to embrace the challenge and excitement that high school will bring in the fall. Teachers and staff joined parents and loved ones in celebrating the students’ myriad accomplishments and Catholic outreach.
PHOTO GALLERY: 8th grade graduations
Ice cream socials; yearbook signing parties; Battle of the Homerooms and outdoor excursions are but some of the many traditional ways that schools celebrate their graduates and send them off with memories of fun, friendship and school spirit.
St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft; St. James School, Red Bank, and St. Paul School, Princeton, honored their graduates with a spirited “Clap Out,” with the entire student body and faculty cheering them through the halls as they left for their final dismissal.
For graduates, the Commencement experience was an opportunity to recognize a range of attributes fine-tuned in their last year as elementary students.
The eighth grade of Sacred Heart School, Rumson, “has truly gone beyond the classroom,” school representatives said, pointing to such traditions as Fitness Friday and Living Stations of the Cross. “By pouring their hearts into being reading buddies and prayer partners for our younger students, they have beautifully nurtured the tight-knit family atmosphere that defines our community.”
The Class of 2026 in St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar, collectively garnered 44 high school scholarships among its 38 graduates – including the Purple & Gold Scholarship awarded to students who will continue at St. Rose High School, and recognizing them for “their commitment to academic growth, character, leadership, service and enthusiasm for becoming a part of the SRHS family.”
In Holmdel, graduates of St. Benedict School were recognized for their community service and perseverance in academics and athletics. To prepare for graduation, the class made a pilgrimage to the diocesan Shrine of St. Carlo Acutis.
“Nearly all our graduating students were members of Drops of RAINE Foundation,” said St. Benedict school officials, describing the organization as helping those in need in the surrounding neighborhoods by providing food, clothing and assistance. “In our Great Outdoor Learning Center, you would always find our eighth graders volunteering in clean-up activities, harvesting and bringing the food to our St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry.”
In Burlington, St. Paul School graduates’ Class Night featured an evening honoring accomplishments, character and contributions. “One of the most meaningful moments of the evening came as graduates had the opportunity to thank their parents and families for the love, encouragement, and sacrifices that helped guide them to this milestone,” school representatives said.
