'This is it: the end,' Christina Lackowicz said as she stood at the podium and addressed her fellow Vanier Catholic Secondary School graduates on Saturday. 'Don't take these times for granted.'

It was indeed the end: the 58 graduates, two honourary graduates and one adult graduate celebrated their achievements during a ceremony in front of family, friends, school staff and local politicians.

Lackowicz, one of two student speakers selected by the grad class, reminisced on the six years the grads had spent at Vanier Catholic. She still remembers the excitement of the first day of Grade 7 and counting down to that long-awaited day.

'We had no idea how much our lives would be touched and changed by the years to follow,' Lackowicz said. 'It's pretty scary, knowing that a whole new chapter of our lives is about to start.'

Brendan O'Donovan, the male student speaker, also looked back on their years at Whitehorse's only Catholic secondary school.

'No matter what we came up against, we always made it through,' O'Donovan said. 'High school is fundamental to our development, but it provides only a fraction of the lessons we'll learn over the rest of our lives.'

He said Vanier Catholic has something no other school can beat. Though he couldn't describe exactly what that quality is, O'Donovan said everyone was always on the same level, and there weren't any cliques or popular groups.

'There was always a level playing field,' he said.

Although everyone is going in their own separate directions after June, O'Donovan said it wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other because Whitehorse is and will always be home.

'I can guarantee that I'll see a bunch of you guys walking the streets of Whitehorse, or the one street of Whitehorse,' he joked.

After his speech, he played Life By the Drop by Stevie Ray Vaughan on acoustic guitar.

Principal Trevor Ratcliff started at the school the same year as the grads did, and said it was honour to have known the students.

'Each of you must leave Vanier Catholic and explore your God-given talents,' Ratcliff said. 'Each of you is special in your own way, and I'm proud of every single one of you.'

Mark Connell, a teacher at Vanier and the guest speaker at the grad, gave a speech that included a few choice words of advice from staff, and had grads laughing at several inside jokes.

He also drew on his experiences in West Africa and a human rights pilgrimmage to Israel and Palestine.

'The reason we celebrate today is that education gives us hope for a better world and a better way of life,' Connell said.

'When I look out at your faces, I wonder what sort of people you'll become. Success can be defined in many different ways, and you have to find out what your own definiton is.'

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell said Vanier is a wonderful school, from the principal and teaching staff to the parents and, most importantly, the students.

'They're role models,' Bagnell said. 'These are the type of youth that people should refer to when talking about the youth of today.'

Education Minister Patrick Rouble emphasized high school is just one of many steps the grads would take in their lives, and received cheers from the grads when he said dramatically, 'High school is now officially over.'

'We've been waiting 13 years for this,' said grad Nathan Peterson. 'It's been a long time coming.'

Peterson has plans to begin an apprenticeship in heavy mechanics.

His friend, James Connor, will be moving to Vancouver in September to do aircraft maintenance, and is working for Air North this summer.

Candice Gottschall will be working at Intersport this summer, and her friend, Samantha Stewart, has a job lined up at Shoppers Drug Mart.

'It kind of just hit us that grad is this weekend, and this is it,' Gottschall said.

She'll be attending a fashion school in Los Angeles this fall, while Stewart is headed to St. Francis Xavier university in Nova Scotia.

Stewart was the winner of the Audrey McLaughlin Bursary at the end of the ceremony for her involvement with the community at large.

Five awards were handed out. They included the St. Eugene de Mazenod Oblate Award to Juan Ruiz and Karin Sederberg for their academic achievements, attendance, and active participation within the school.

Fraser Gray took home the Dr. Anthony Strelzow Scholarship for his high academic achievement, leadership, and extracurricular involvement with the volleyball and basketball teams.

Charlotte Ratcliff won the Knights of Columbus Bursary for her citizenship and volunteering in the community.

Bevan Boychuk and Sarkis Hajian were picked by faculty for the Yukon College Scholarships, based on their high academic marks and leadership.

The ceremony was capped off by a Then and Now slideshow which showed pictures of the grads as young children.