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SAHS Seniors gathered in the kitchen of the auditorium to get ready for the ceremony. (photo by Ben Martin)

SAHS seniors wait for the full class to enter during the processional. (Photo by Ben Martin)

SAHS Senior Victoria Morhead gets some help with her gown from teacher Joan Thornton. Thornton is retiring and this was her last graduation as a teacher at the school. (Photo by Ben Martin)

St. Al Salutatorian Leah Larson highlighted the strong bonds that made the class stronger as a whole in her speech. (Photo by Ben Martin)

St. Al seniors stand ready for the ceremony to begin. (Photo by Ben Martin)

St. Al Valedictorian Christina Waisner used part of her speech to speak about the hardships the class of 2022 has endured together. (Photo by Ben Martin)

St. Aloysius High School held a graduation ceremony for the class of 2022 on Tuesday at the Vicksburg Auditorium.

Thirty-seven students received their diplomas from St. Aloysius this year.

The Rev. Robert Dore delivered an invocation at the beginning of the ceremony.

“Here we are, the class of ’22. I love you, and I will continue to love you,” he said. “And I will continue to ask God to pour out his blessings and his graces on you every day of your lives.”

Leah Catherine Larson is the salutatorian for the class. In her address, she highlighted the strong bonds they had made as a community.

“We’ve lost some intense fights over the years, some wrestling matches. But we all seem closer together,” she said, “We are the class that’s come together throughout the good and the bad. We’re all the better for it.”

She closed out her speech with some advice.

“Don’t let political correctness get in the way of what’s right,” she said. “And keep your head, heels and standards high, from our role model: Barbie.”

Christina Marie Waisner is the valedictorian of the 2022 class and addressed her classmates after Larson.

“These past few years have been taken in, in technicolor. Every memory stands out as vivid,” Waisner said. “We’ve experienced every shade of joy, happiness, grief, and fear.”

Waisner highlighted the difficulties the class faced that brought them closer together.

“We have withstood a global pandemic, multiple losses and hardship unimaginable,” she said. “But after every hard moment, we have met each other with softness and gentleness and kindness.”

Principal Karla McHan gave closing remarks before the traditional hat-throwing.

“Class of 2022, your high school years have been quite different than those that have come before you,” McHan said. “While the pandemic had an impact on you, it most definitely did not define you.

“Some of the best quotes come from Winnie the Pooh, so I’m going to share one with you. ‘We didn’t know we were making memories; we just knew we were having fun,’” she added. “And that’s your class. You find ways to make the best of things, and most importantly you do it together.”

The entire ceremony can be watched on the school’s Facebook page at facebook.com/VicksburgCatholicSchool.

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