On The Horizon

October 2007
Lindsay Jakows ‘08
Horizon High School

Justin Topliff
Teen Photographer:
Vector Marketing

Despite its misleading Scottsdale mailing address, Horizon High School is situated in northeast Phoenix and claims one of the Valley's largest enrollments. Still, at some point in their four-year stint, Horizon Huskies typically stop feeling like a speck on the horizon and eventually find their niche within the school.

Aside From It All.....

Aside from the speech debate tournaments and the preparation involved, what I will remember most after graduating from Horizon is the lunch hours we spent piling seven of us into a small room adjacent to one of our coach’s classrooms. It’s a ritual that has drawn complaints from teachers, because apparently we’re going to microwave ourselves to death; but not before we lock the door and do bad things on the couch. We may seem like the nerds who would rather escape the excitement outside the quad or cafeteria, but in reality we give the noise outside fair competition. And it’s one way to avoid the food fights….

About Those Food Fights.

We may be an excelling school, however the only math some of our student body is capable of performing is: trash + lunch + throwing things = fun. This has escalated from a senior prank at the end of the school year to a series of events that happen several times a year, forcing teachers to trade in their valuable lunch time for patrol duty. The lunch hour has shrunk by 10 minutes over the past two years, giving students less time for lunchtime club meetings and make-up tests. Now that the attention seekers have received what they wished, not only must the entire school pay for it, but it has only seemed to provoke more food fights. Expiration dates on pranks usually come when people are physically injured and sent to the hospital... and Horizon’s food fights are way past theirs.

The Evacuation Drill Wave.

Another memorable lunchtime episode that resonates in my mind was our evacuation drill last year. This was designed to move all students to a far-removed, inconspicuous location (if ever, say, a gunman roamed our halls looking for his next victim.) Unfortunately, the safest place our education professionals could dream up was the school football field. So, during the last 10 minutes of lunch, we assembled in the bleachers and began doing the wave since the killer was going to find us anyway.

“Take me out to the ball game…”

Horizon boasts beautiful fields as green as its main school color. With more than 14 sanctioned teams and even more club sports, these athletes bring excitement to any activity, whether it be the ground attack of football or the high time of rock climbing. While enjoying rivalry with schools such as Brophy and Paradise Valley, teammates often form life-long friendships through a love of competition and the sport itself. Head baseball coach Eric Kibler (also known as Kibble’s and Bits) has been a three time recipient of the Arizona Coach of the Year award and a three time recipient of the Western Region Coach of the Year.

“It's still rock and roll to me…”

Many Horizon students express themselves through the performing arts. Drama, band and choir departments provide students with an outlet for performance and a built-in family. Plus, you can’t argue with a trip to Disneyland every year. The performing arts departments are a wardrobe from which students can choose that special class that is tailor-made for them.

“Don’t wanna be an American Idiot….”

Working their brains are Horizon's growing Speech and Debate team, Academic Decathletes, and various other clubs that encourage members to think beyond the latest fashion trends. The camaraderie among these witty people provides different perspectives on issues that help students find a place they identify with in high school but also later in the real world.

“Leader of the pack…”

Horizon’s student body strives to raise leaders in whatever they are passionate about achieving. For those interested in leading the entire school, student government is the place to be. This class works hard to plan events such as the hilarious all-male beauty pageant, Mr. Horizon, and three dances every year.

“I can tell that we are going to be friends…”

Horizon students identify with these unique interests more than they could with any other outer influence. During rehearsals, while on buses back from a competition, wherever and whenever, these groups constantly make memories. The inside jokes, the group pictures displayed on binders, the shared lunches and banquets give more meaning to waking up every day than a math test ever could. It adds to the high school experience in a way that gives everyone a support system. A success for one is a success for all. Go ye Huskies!