ATLANTA—Catholic high schools, both archdiocesan and independent Catholic schools, in the Atlanta Archdiocese are preparing to hold their commencement exercises in May. This year Pinecrest Academy in Cumming and Msgr. Walter J. Donovan High School in Athens, both independent Catholic schools, are each graduating their first senior class.

Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell

The Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated on Friday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Brigid Church, Alpharetta. The graduation of 217 seniors is on Saturday, May 19, at 3 p.m. at the school. The valedictorian is Carleen O’Brien, a member of St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell and the daughter of Jessica and Michael O’Brien. The salutatorian is Caitlin Szabo, daughter of Melanie and Bert Szabo. Szabo is a member of St. Brigid Church in Alpharetta. Their commencement speaker is to be announced.

Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta

There are 38 seniors in this second graduating class at Holy Spirit Preparatory School. The Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 29, at 10 a.m. at Holy Spirit Church, which will be followed at 1 p.m. that day by the graduation ceremony. The valedictorian and salutatorian are to be announced. The graduation speaker is Frank Hanna III, chief executive officer of HBR Capital Ltd. and former co-chair of the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence of Hispanic Americans.

Marist School, Atlanta

There will be a Baccalaureate Mass celebrated at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 25, in the school’s Centennial Center and the 184 seniors will graduate there at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. The valedictorian is Stephen Roger Motter, son of Garry and Betty Motter of St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn. The salutatorian is Victoria Elizabeth Greba, daughter of Debra Greba of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Atlanta.

Their 2007 award recipients will each make brief remarks. The Distinguished Alumnus Award winner is R. J. Griffin, class of 1962, who founded R. J. Griffin and Co., general contractor, one of the region’s largest contractors, and whose community service includes service to the Northside Hospital Foundation and the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation. The Father Hartnett Service Award winner is William Rich, class of 1959, a partner in the Private Wealth Services section of Holland & Knight, Atlanta, whose volunteer service includes serving on the planned giving committees of the Cathedral of Christ the King and the Woodruff Arts Center Foundations Committee.

Msgr. Walter J. Donovan High School, Athens

The graduation for the first graduating class of 14 is on Saturday, May 19, beginning with a Baccalaureate Mass at 2 p.m. at the school. The valedictorian is Annabelle Barbe, daughter of David and Amy Barbe. The salutatorian is Elizabeth Golembiewski, daughter of Kate Harwood and Geoff Golembiewski. Both students are members of St. Joseph Church, Athens. Their guest speaker is Shane Kimbrough, a mission specialist astronaut with NASA from Atlanta who is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Georgia Institute of Technology, who will speak at a banquet earlier in the week.

Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fairburn

The graduation ceremony for 47 seniors will be held at the school on Friday, May 25, at 6 p.m. beginning with the Baccalaureate Mass. The valedictorian and salutatorian are to be announced. Their speaker is Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.

Pinecrest Academy, Cumming

The graduation of their first class of 15 students will be held on Saturday, May 26, with a Baccalaureate Mass at 2 p.m. followed by graduation in the school gym. The valedictorian is Elizabeth Kelley, daughter of Laura and Dr. Phil Kelley of St. Benedict Church, Duluth. The salutatorian is Leanne Cassandra, daughter of Michael and Cindy Cassandra of St. Andrew Church, Roswell.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, will be the graduation speaker. Archbishop-emeritus John F. Donoghue, who first granted Pinecrest Catholic school status in 1995, will concelebrate the graduation Mass.

St. Pius X High School, Atlanta

St. Pius has 231 graduating seniors. The Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated at St. Brigid Church in Alpharetta at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, and graduation will be at Symphony Hall in Atlanta at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 19. The valedictorian is Nicholas Berlon of St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn, the son of Michael and Susan Berlon. The salutatorian is Emma Templeton, daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Templeton.

Annie Anton, Ph.D., is their Distinguished Alumna, class of 1984, who will speak at graduation. She is an associate professor of computer science at North Carolina State University.