EVANSTON — A large crowd of parents, friends and supporters filled Evanston Middle School’s auditorium for Horizon High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 30. Thirteen seniors marched down the aisle to their seats and Horizon’s principal Bren Payne gave a hearty welcome and a thank you to all in attendance.

“For the first time, this year we are giving a ‘Spirit of Horizon’ award to a student who has inspired us all,” Payne said. “The teachers and staff chose the winner, and that student is Danielle Flores, who is also our valedictorian and student body president. Danielle, please come up to accept this award.”

Flores thanked all of the teachers and staff and said, “Albert Einstein said, ‘If you don’t ever fail, you can’t learn from your mistakes,’ so there are no wrong choices right now. I see all of you, my classmates, as winners. Congratulations, we did it!”

Horizon history teacher Sam Johnson was the keynote speaker. Johnson said this was his first-year teaching at Horizon, and he came knowing nothing about alternative schools. He said all of his fears about teaching in an alternative school left in the first week of classes after he met the students. Johnson told a brief, humorous story about each of the graduates.

“Ten years from now, you won’t remember everything you learned here, but remember this,” Johnson said. “Keep on learning, and do good. We are so proud of you. Congratulations Class of 2025.”

HHS seniors chose as their motto: “No matter how dark it is, remember, it is the horizon that will bring you light,” which was given to the students by Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder when she visited Horizon on her Tour of Excellence in the spring.

The class song is “Good Old Days” by Macklemore.

Doug Rigby, Uinta County School District #1 superintendent of curriculum for sixth through 12th grades, spoke about his time as the first principal of Horizon High School and how pleased he was to see three former students in the audience at the graduation ceremony.

He said he was very excited to see the direction that Payne has taken Horizon and the pride he felt in the school. Rigby told the graduates to let perseverance guide them in the world and he congratulated them on their success at Horizon.

Principal Payne then recognized graduate and salutatorian Zoe Tomlinson as recipient of the Hathaway Scholarship.

Physical education and construction teacher Casey Ingersoll presented CTE certifications for OSHA General Industry Safety and Health to students Carizma Hart and Danielle Flores.

Culinary arts teacher Candi DeCoite presented ServSafe certificates to Hart and Flores.

Technology teacher Jared Lundholm presented Cyber Security Essentials certification to students Zoe Tomlinson and Faith Bower.

Uinta County School District #1 Superintendent Ryan Thomas then certified the diplomas and presented the graduating Class of 2025.

School board member Brian Woodward gave each student their diploma as students marched up onto the stage. After receiving their diploma, the students shook hands with principal Payne, along with Thomas and Rigby. After all students had returned to their seats, together they moved their tassels to the left side of their hats and then threw them in the air before joining their families to celebrate.