The 58th graduating class of Christian Brothers Academy will truly be one for the history books.

The Class of 2020 will not only be remembered for their outstanding academic, athletic, service, and extracurricular achievements, but also their resilience, fortitude and unity to weather circumstances outside of their control.

These young men will also hold the distinction of being the first senior class to have their commencement ceremony between the campus baseball fields in July, while sitting six feet apart.

The 203 Academy graduates gathered for the 58^th commencement exercises on Tuesday morning, receiving the CBA diploma that they have been working towards over the past four years.

Each graduate was allotted two tickets for family members to attend, while the CBA Digital Network live broadcasted the ceremony to the rest of the community. The students were gifted custom CBA Colts facemasks to wear during the ceremony.

“With all the uncertainty of the past four months, the Class of 2020 has been on my mind and in my prayers each day, but there was never a doubt that you would handle the situation well,” said CBA President Brother Frank Byrne ’75.

Brother Frank and Principal Ross Fales conferred the diplomas to the newest CBA alumni, albeit with “elbow bumps” rather than handshakes.

Amid the continued global pandemic, the CBA Class of 2020 was celebrated for their accolades over their four years at the Academy.  The seniors reported receiving over 22 million dollars in merit-based scholarships to over 175 different colleges and universities across the country.

They have also gone above and beyond with their community service efforts. The class totaled 22,361 hours of service, which averages out to 110 per student. Only 50 hours of service is required for each graduating student.

The Class of 2020 also included 61 students who graduated with distinction (92 average or greater), 38 National Honor Society members, 26 scholar student-athletes (92 average or greater while playing a varsity sport), and 12 National Commended Scholars.

“The mission of CBA is to enable students to grow into intellectually mature and morally responsible leaders for the Church and society,” Brother Frank continued. “I am confident that this has been achieved by most unique graduating class in CBA history.”

Watch the replay of the livestream here: