NATCHEZ &8212; A buzz of excitement filled the large sanctuary at First Baptist Church Friday as hundreds of relatives and friends gathered to witness the 36th commencement exercises for Adams County Christian School.

Cameras flashed, babies babbled loudly and graduates in blue gowns and tasseled caps moved among the crowd to give hugs and pose for pictures before the solemn ceremony began.

The 40 ACCS graduates heard words of caution and advice from their speaker, a military man who talked about a battle they will face.

It will not be a military battle, he said. Rather, it will be a battle for their hearts.

Col. Anthony C. Versay, commander and district engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told students, &8220;In daily battles, we get off center and run toward comfort instead of challenge.&8221;

He cautioned young people to beware of the lure of worldly things, and he gave examples of people they should choose as role models &8212; famous ones such as Mother Teresa and the football player Pat Tillman, who gave up a multi-million-dollar contract to go instead into military service to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He told of a small boy who gave blood to his sister so she could live. &8220;You will now have more freedom and more choices,&8221; he said. &8220;You will win the battle for your heart by daily choices that build your character.&8221;

Versay cautioned the graduates to focus on what is inside them. &8220;Be the best you can be,&8221; he said.

He talked of his own humble upbringing &8212; his father, a coal miner and his mother, a waitress in Pennsylvania. &8220;They taught me values.&8221;

ACCS valedictorian Daniel Brown urged his classmates to lead a Christ-centered life.

&8220;I want to thank my parents for bringing me up in a Christian home,&8221; he said, adding that they had made it possible for him to know the awesome God of the universe.

He thanked parents of all the graduates for their contributions to their children&8217;s successes. &8220;You parents have sacrificed time, energy, money and your very lives for us.&8221;

Danielle Carter, salutatorian, also thanked parents, teachers and others who had contributed to the education of the Class of 2006.

&8220;Thank you for preparing us for the road ahead,&8221; she said.

Carter described the class as close-knit and said it will be difficult for them to leave each other. &8220;Many of us have known each other since pre-school, and it will not be easy to say goodbye.&8221;