By Dubravka Cortese, Correspondent

The focus was on family June 6, when alumni parents of Holy Cross Academy, Delran, were welcomed onto the field to personally present diplomas to their children during the Class of 2016’s Commencement Exercises.

To see photo gallerly from the Commencement Exercises, click here.

To see photo gallery from the Baccalaureate Mass, click here.

And in a moving speech, valedictorian Grace Grady addressed the class just days after her father passed away, eliciting tears from many and a standing ovation from all 136 graduates as well as the many family members and friends filling the stadium bleachers.

Grady told her fellow graduates that she was sure her late father would be just as proud of them as he would be of her.

Fellow valedictorian, Rachael Schloo, who was accepted to West Point, highlighted three important traits the graduates learned while at Holy Cross: time management, prioritizing and flexibility.  She told her fellow graduates, “We are not just classmates, we are family. The Holy Cross community is our family.”

Salutatorian Barbara Cerefin began by noting her class’ accomplishments, such as $14.7 million in scholarships and awards and stellar athletic performances. A highlight of which was when senior Matt Correnti won a state wrestling championship title in March and became the winningest wrestler in South Jersey history.

Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Trenton and Holy Cross alumnus JoAnn Tier challenged the class to affect the world in a positive way. “Recognize the life-giving energy that God has placed in you, and work to develop your gifts and capacity to the fullest.”

Graduate Jake Askin has nothing but fond memories of his time at Holy Cross. One highlight was making it to the state championships with the varsity soccer team his senior year. “It was a lot of fun,” he said of his four years at Holy Cross. “I made so many friends. Holy Cross also gave us a lot of opportunity to help out within the school and in the community.”

The graduation ceremony created a special memory for Jake’s father, Brian. A member of the class of 1989, Brian was one of the alumni privileged to present diplomas to their children.

“It was a good feeling,” Brian said of presenting the diploma to his son. “It was something I didn’t really anticipate, but once I actually handed him the diploma and looked him in the eye, I knew it was a moment I would never forget.”