For Jessie Lee Cunningham, Trenton Catholic Academy Upper School, Hamilton, has for the last four years been a home away from home.

It was therefore a bittersweet moment for Cunningham and her 46 fellow graduates of the class of 2009 when their high school years drew to a close with a Baccalaureate Mass and commencement ceremony in St. Anthony Church June 3. Bishop John M. Smith celebrated the Mass and joined TCA Upper School director James Foley in the conferral of diplomas.

Following the graduation, Cunningham reflected on her experiences at the school and said that since TCA has played such a large part in helping her to prepare for the future, it will be difficult to leave behind those who have made such a difference in her life.

“It is really easy to become attached here,” said Cunningham, of Hamilton, who will attend Rider University to study medicine on a full scholarship this fall. “At TCA I really felt a bond with the faculty and I am really sad to be leaving them. It has become like a home to me and I am very much going to miss all of them.”

Cunningham’s sentiments were echoed in the emotional atmosphere shared by the faculty, the students and their families during the commencement exercises. The event also marked an important moment in the school’s history, as the class of 2009 is the first group of graduates to have completed all four years of their high school education in Trenton Catholic Academy, which was formed in 2005.

In his homily, Bishop Smith reflected on the Gospel passage from Matthew 7: 7-11, which says that God will give “good gifts” to those who ask for them. The bishop told the students that they have all received gifts from God in the form of their education, their intelligence and their many talents. But having been given so many gifts, he added, it is important that they give back as well.

“You’re very gifted young people and you have those gifts in order to share them with others,” Bishop Smith said. “This class has so much to give and I know that you are going to do that. I’m so proud of each and every one of you.”

The bishop also praised the accomplishments of the graduates, who boasted a 100 percent college acceptance rate and were awarded a combined total of $2.2 million in scholarship funds.

“When I look at you I have great hope for the future of the Church, for the future of Christianity and for the future of our world,” he said.

Many of the students expressed high hopes for the future as well. In her commencement speech, salutatorian Briana Brown said that as the students prepare to begin a new chapter in their lives, there is no limit to the heights they can reach. She added that her classmates have expressed diverse aspirations in such fields as business, medicine, science, athletics and education.

“We are about to embark on a journey of discovery and adventure,” Brown said. She added that as they receive their diplomas, they will “step into the world as confident, educated and mature young adults.”

According to Daquon Basnight, it is the high-quality education and the strong relationships they have developed at Trenton Catholic Academy that have prepared the graduates for a bright future.

“I had a good education here and I had good friendships with a lot of people,” said Basnight, a resident of Ewing. “I hope to keep in touch with all of them.”

And as he prepares to continue his education while playing basketball for Lincoln University, Lincoln, Pa., Basnight said that one lesson from his TCA experience will always stick with him as he strives for success.

“The most important thing I learned here is that failure is not an option,” he said.