Confetti flies over graduates during the procession at First State Military Academy's 1st Commencement Exercise in Clayton on Thursday.( Delaware State News/Marc(

CLAYTON — Three years after opening its doors, First State Military Academy, a Marine Corps JROTC Charter School, graduated its first class of cadets Thursday.

The class of 2018 started with 56 sophomores in fall 2015 and 41 cadets received their high school diploma in a ceremony on the Clayton campus.

“This is a moving time for our seniors,” said Commandant Patrick Gallucci. “They have endured three years of challenges to be sitting here today. They have worked together to help build a school. There are few out there who can make such a claim. These cadets took a chance on a promise of attending a different school, and they have a profound sense of accomplishment for being the first class to graduate from First State on May 31.”

Of the seniors, Destiny Marshall and Priscilla Gorman earned the highest grade average and the class representative, or president, was Noah Berman.

The graduating class includes:

Matthew James Albanese

Julio Luis Almodovar

Amber Casey Barthe

Noah Henry Berman

Carmen Roseline Black

Jacob William Bobon

Sean Patrick Carson

Rachael Lynn Craig

James Ernest Falcon

Elycia Victoria Francisco

Priscilla Efua Nyarkoa Gorman

Erica Michelle Graves

Kallie Nicole Valerie Halliday

William Hollingsworth

Lyndsey Michelle Hurley

Debra Kiara Johnson-Hodges

Mercy Kamau

Casandra Lyn Keefer

James Jordan Kent

Jonathan Philip Malmstrom

Vincent Mangle

Destiny Suzette Marshall

Nathan Dean Massingill

Cashe Storm McKnight

Juston Rhonale Murray

James Aaron Pacana

Dakota Rae Palchik

Jonathan Matthew Peacock

Abigail Breanna Petro

Sabine Portalatin

Sabrina Portalatin

Jeremy Alexander Reynolds

Jacob Edward Smith

Christopher Thomas Taylor

Nadica Monique Tompkins

Hailey Nicole Trover

Diondre Triston Valdez-Anderson

Jhada Nicole Weeks