This week, St. Aloysius and Porter’s Chapel Academy held graduation ceremonies Saturday at the Vicksburg Auditorium.

St. Al’s ceremony was held at 10 a.m. and 41 young men and women accepted diplomas.

Valedictorian Katie Martin, who gave the farewell speech reminded everyone the best way to get better, in swimming or in life, is by focusing on the little things.

“My St. Al swim coach, Bruce Ebersole, always reminded the swim team to ‘Make the little things count.’ The only way to improve in swimming is to make small, consistent improvements,” Martin said.

“In a sport where milliseconds separate the medalists, those little things make all the difference. By focusing on the little things, this also applies to life, whether it is spending 10 minutes developing a relationship or a moment throwing away a piece of litter, those will develop into a strong relationship and a healthy environment. We are what we do often, and since we live only one second at a time, the only way to change anything is through the little things. Focus on the little things. Those small choices will determine how you change the world,” Martin said.

PCA conducted their ceremony in the afternoon and graduated 22 students.

DiMaya Adale Randle was the valedictorian of the class and spoke of her classmates’ future as a road map winding through life.

Roadblocks and obstacles have been encountered along the way, she said, but the class used their GPS devices and moved forward.

“Together we have taken a journey,” Randle said, adding this is not the end but the beginning. She wanted her classmates to not lose themselves or their purpose and to never quit whatever path their journey takes them down.