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Unlike graduating classes of several hundred students, many members of Frederick Christian Academy’s class of 2024 have been together their entire lives.
Marcello Villalta transferred to FCA from a public school when he was in the seventh grade. When he graduated on Friday, he said he immediately noticed a difference in the relationships between his peers.
“Even with us being a small group, there’s something new every day,” Villalta said.
Villalta, who plans to pursue a career in law enforcement, was one of 13 students to graduate from FCA during a graduation convocation on Friday. Of those students, six were part of the academy’s homeschool umbrella program.
The convocation was held at the People’s Baptist Church in Frederick, which has housed the academy since 1978, according to the FCA website.
A video tribute showed photos of each member of the class of 2024 in different phases of their lives. Thrn, the graduates processed into the chapel. All of the young women wore white gowns and the young men wore red.
Michael Ancruem, the valedictorian of FCA’s class of 2024, and Hannah Ramirez, the salutatorian, each address their classmates and the audience.
Ancruem, who said he was diagnosed with autism at a young age, reflected on how he learned to embrace his differences throughout his educational journey.
“At first, it felt like an insurmountable obstacle — a barrier separating me from my dreams. I struggled in ways that others couldn’t understand,” Ancruem said. “But through it all, I held onto the belief that with perseverance and faith, anything is possible.”
Ancruem said drawing comics helps him communicate when words fail. He plans to major in radiology at Hagerstown Community College in the fall. He graduated high school with a cumulative GPA of 4.02.
In her speech, Ramirez thanked God, her parents and the staff at FCA for helping her and her classmates make it to graduation.
“Class of 2024, we have fought hard and finished strong. Yet, let us remember that as we conclude this chapter of our lives, we also begin the next chapter,” Ramirez said. “As followers of Christ, we are his vessels, and God has many plans for each and every one of us.”
Ramirez, who finished high school with a cumulative GPA of 4.0, plans to attend Frederick Community College in the fall with a major in speech pathology.
The commencement speaker for the class of 2024 was Dean Kershner, an FCA alumnus and field director with Gospelink, a Virginia-based organization with churches, orphanages and other ministries in countries across the world.
Kershner said he structured his commencement address around the same Bible passage read at his graduation 39 years ago.
In his speech, Kershner challenged the graduates to hold strong to the values instilled in them by their parents and by the academy as they enter adulthood.
“You will be a success in 20 years not based on how much land you own or what kind of car you drive. You will be a success based on how many other people you sacrifice for,” Kershner said.
“The problem with that is that’s not measured here — you’re not going to see that in the Dow Jones Industrial printout,” he continued. “But it’s recorded in Heaven.”
