Horizon High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article refers to the high school in Phoenix, Arizona. For the high school in Thornton, Colorado, see Horizon High School (Colorado).
| Principal | Anthony Capuano |
| School Type | Public (U.S.) |
| Religious Affiliation | None |
| Address & Location | 5601 E. Greenway Road Scottsdale, Arizona 85254, USA |
| Enrollment | over 2,500 students |
| Mascot | Husky |
| School Colors | Green and gold |
| School Website | [1] |
Horizon High School is a public high school open to all students for grades 9-12. The school, located in Phoenix, Arizona, is a part of Paradise Valley Unified School District No. 69. Led by principal Anthony Capuano, Horizon received the rating of Excelling in the results of AZ Learns 2005.
Horizon's goals are simple: to provide learning programs for each individual student that fits his/her needs, to emphasize academic courses that challenge each student to grow intellectually, to teach students to think critically, master basic skills, develop healthful lifestyles and become active citizens, and finally, to install Horizon P.R.I.D.E. in each and every student.
The school, a place where over 2500 students come to learn, believes that effort is as important as ability, and that every student can succeed. With classes in the Special Education and AP Programs, handicapped to advanced students can receive courses that meet their individual needs.
The Horizon Choirs are also a large part of the school's spirit, along with the Horizon Band, and the Horizon football team, the Horizon Huskies, led by Coach Steve Casey. The school boasts other sports teams for soccer, tennis, baseball, and several others. In addition to the band and many choirs, Horizon's Drama program has grown over the years under the direction of Joanie Colson. Choir, Drama, and athletics have drawn students from all over the area. Students are able to enjoy a variety of teacher sponsored clubs ranging from the Physics Club (sponsored by Bill Dillon) to the Asian Awareness Club, to the Manga Board & Anime Club.
Beyond performance and athletic based programs, Horizon is home to remarkable advanced placement courses. AP programs include English, Science, Social Sciences, and Mathematics. Horizon's school newspaper,the Horizon Highlights, is published monthly by the newspaper staff and has supplied Horizon with vital news and human-interest articles for the past 25 years. Led by Jeremy Pearlman, the Horizon Highlights has become an award-winning and widely-recognized publication among Arizona high schools. Several organizations, including the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association, have honored its journalistic efforts with several awards in the past few years alone. The school also publishes Horizon Heritage, a yearbook containing articles written, pictures taken, and layouts designed strictly by students. Lisa Baker, the yearbook advisor, has pushed the student-run publication to be outstanding as well, garnering several awards from the AIPA, CSPA, JEA, and NSPA. The video production club also is responsible for creating a daily television segment called "HTV News," which is broadcast to the entire school every day during third period. The HTV News team members of the 2005-2006 school year, most notably Jay Naddeo (co-anchor), Michael Gee (co-anchor & director), Joel Smades (editor), Bryce Paski (video recorder & editor), and Mr. Jeremy Pearlman (advisor), transformed the daily announcements into a popular and entertaining media outlet at Horizon.
[edit] Athletics
Horizon is known for its outstanding baseball program. One of the top prospects in the minor leagues, Brandon Wood, is a Horizon alumni. The Huskies also won the 2005 5A state championship led by MLB draft picks Matt Hall and Jeff Urlaub and other team leaders Chris Rubino and Tim Alderson. They are also recognized for their achievements in basketball, volleyball, football, badminton, swimming, tennis, and golf. The Boy Huskies' two main rivals, although debatable, are the Brophy Broncos and the Paradise Valley Trojans. The Lady Huskies' main rival is also unsure, but is regarded by most Horizon students as Xavior Prep. At this point coach frank does not coach football he now teachers and works for the darkside Brophy prep. In 2003, former stand out shortstop Brandon Wood was drafted 23rd overall in the MLB draft by the Anehiem Angels. He is currently playing for the Salt Lake Bees (AAA) in the Angel's organization. He played varsity baseball all four years while attending Horizon. He turned down a chance to go to the University of Texas to play professional baseball.
[edit] Arts
Horizon is also known for its performing arts program headed by drama teacher Joanie Colson, choir directors Kathrine Kouns and Jaque Marum, and band directors Lance Libby and Jason Harrison. Every fall, the choir hosts Broadway Under the Stars, featuring a review of show tunes and performances. The drama program performs a dramatic play in the fall and a musical in the spring. The Horizon Pride Regiment is a Division 1 award winning band program throughout the Southwest.
[edit] Other Academic Clubs
Speech and Debate Club:
Horizon has also restarted its Speech and Debate Team, sponsored by Susan Chubrich-Seep, AP European History and AP Economics techer. The club is just getting its feet off the ground. It is only the group's second year as a competitive team and it has branched out to compete in a variety of different events, something very difficult for a small new team to manage. The team currently is excited for the upcoming season and has high hopes for all its divisions.
