Horizon High School (Thornton, Colorado)


Horizon High School is a public secondary institution located in Thornton, Colorado. The school was recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 1994, 1995 and 1996. The Blue Ribbon award is considered to be the highest honor that an American school can achieve, and only about 3.9% of schools nationwide have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools.

History

Horizon High School opened in 1988 to relieve crowding at Northglenn High School.
Following rapid growth in Adams County throughout the 1990s, Horizon High School quickly filled to capacity and by 1999 the campus had 20 portable classrooms outside the school's main building.
Originally, the school only had grades 10-12. The graduating class of 1998 was the first freshman class to attend the school.
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 PRIDE in each and every student.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Horizon High School fields teams that compete in interscholastic competition in baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
State championship titles:
Horizon High School is known throughout the Adams 12 District for its drama program. The school features the second largest auditorium in the district, seating over 700 people. Since its opening in 1988, there have been almost 20 musicals performed, over 44 plays and several one-acts.

Newspaper

Horizon High School is host to a student run newspaper, The Horizon Profile. The paper features news, features, and opinion writing. The Profile is published monthly for seven months throughout the school year. It is offered as a class that is open to all students who submit a writing sample, at the discretion of the current staff. The Profile is a member of the Colorado High School Press Association and received the best in show third place for a 5A newspaper during the 2007-2008 CHSPA Journalism Day at CSU.

Clubs

Horizon High School offers a myriad of clubs such as Knowledge Bowl, Spanish National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Band, Class Leadership, National Honor Society, LINK, FBLA, DECA, Creative Writing Club, Drama, and Anime Club.

SOAR Honors Program

Horizon High School is the site of the SOAR Honor Program. SOAR has existed at the school since 2008, and is a pre-collegiate program developed by Horizon High School's teachers.

Notable alumni