It was a night to celebrate endings and beginnings, to look ahead to the future and back on the past. Thursday night's Kingsburg High School graduation ceremony focused not just on the accomplishments of the class of 2008, but those of a hundred years worth of graduates.

The class of 2008 was the 100th class to graduate from Kingsburg High. Superintendent Linda Clark said that it has been a century that has exemplified history, heritage and tradition.

"What kind of excellence do we stand for?," Clark asked. "Academic excellence, athletic excellence, and excellence of character."

Had any graduates from the KHS class of 1908 been present at the ceremony, they no doubt would have marveled at how times have changed. Grads clad in flip-flops sporting nose rings and hot pink hair, many with cell phones pressed to their ears, bore little resemblance to their predecessors.

A hundred years from now, cell phones will no doubt be archaic, but the class of 2008 exemplified the time in which they live. For those who missed it, and for those who want to remember it, here are some of the highlights of the commencement ceremony.

When and where: Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. This year's ceremony was held on the baseball field -- only the second time in history that is wasn't held at the football stadium, which is currently under construction.

Number of graduates: 235

Number of valedictorians: An impressive 24 --12 of whom spoke

Sights and sounds of the evening: Beautiful, fair weather with a light breeze

Fabulous graduation fashions: Hawaiian leis, bright yellow stilettos, hot pink hair (on a guy), neon orange sunglasses, huge hoop earrings for the ladies and studs for the guys, nose rings, scented lip gloss, heavy make-up, bare feet, flip-flops

Overheard from the graduates:

"I got this lei at Costco."

"This is our last time to see each other."

"Your legs are so white!"

"Do you think they practiced pronouncing our last names?"

"The Lakers are down by five."

"Sorry about the wardrobe malfunction."

"Which hand do you shake with? The right or the left?"

Time it took the graduates to march in: Five minutes

Most emotional moment: Senior Class Vice President Leah Vargas gave a brief remembrance and led the crowd in a moment of silence in honor of Louie Aguirre and Anthony Chabolla. The two young men, who would have graduated with the class of 2008, were killed in a car accident last summer.

"We all have cherished memories of these two friends on campus and in our community," Vargas said.

Following the moment of silence, two white doves were released in memory of Aguirre and Chabolla.

Words of wisdom from the valedictories:

"We miss 100 percent of the times we don't shoot, so what have we got to lose?" -Cheree Jones

"Life doesn't always turn out the way you want it to, so all you can do is have faith." -Alyssa Gonzales

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart, and if opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." -Amber Santos

"I had absolutely no idea what true hardship felt like until I lost my two best friends, Anthony and Louie." -Andre Alves

"I would like to look at life as one big math problem." -Holly Upton

"Tonight we get our diplomas and walk away from this place that has spent the past four years preparing us for the most confusing time of our lives." -Misti Galli

"Hold fast to your dreams. I leave you with a poem from Langston Hughes: Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow." -Ana Mitchell

"Remember that when all else fails, you can always come back to this place. It may be small, but hey, it's home."

-Miriam Mahfoud

"Proverbs 16:3 says commit your plans to the Lord and you will succeed ... This is our challenge: Keep our eyes on the horizon and our minds on our goals." -Natalie Muradian

"We all face hardships in life -- it's part of the experience." -Karly Behymer

"Embrace this moment, because it can only get better from here." -Kacey Shiflet

Coolest moment: A flock of 100 white doves was released in celebration of Kingsburg High's 100th commencement ceremony

Time it took to hand out the diplomas: 23 minutes

Total time of the ceremony: One hour, 10 minutes

Grand finale: Fireworks lit up the sky over the graduates as they triumphantly threw their hats in the air