Archived News

Christian School Comment - The Best Means for Growth
Students in Christian Schools drink freely from streams of liviing water as they are taught by teachers who love Jesus. Read the ASCI Newsletter (PDF).

10-05-09 - Horizon Student Wins Award
Andrew Stenberg, a junior, didn’t just work on skills at the basketball camp he attended last summer. He took it to a higher level — he competed, and won, the Golden Ruler Award. basketball camp he attended last summer. He took it to a higher level — he competed, and won, the Golden Ruler Award. The award is the highest award you can receive at NBC Camps, a large, worldwide basketball camp program. The Golden Ruler Award is designed to “teach an individual how to become a person of depth and reflection, while instilling the importance of community service, discipline, and accountability in to their life”. Andrew kept a personal daily journal, wrote essays on perseverance, forgiveness, service, and wisdom. He designed a work-out plan, read assigned Bible verses and memorized them, and met daily with a mentor. He did this while participating in long, grueling days of drills, practices, and games. Of more than 100 students at the camp, ten started the process, two completed it, and only Andrew finished and passed the test. He took the challenge, pushed himself to the limit, achieved his goal, and grew as a result. Congratulations, Andrew.!

From The Superintendent's Desk
The first day of school is all but here. Tuesday morning more than 200 nervous, anxious, and excited students will be arriving with great anticipation of a new school year. The theme for the coming year, “Dare to Be Different”, will challenge students, staff, and parents to “bring out the God-colors in the world” — to be “light bearers”. You will be hearing more about this theme as the year progresses.

Our teaching staff this year includes some new faces and is a wonderful group of experienced, energetic, talented, and passionate teachers. In our pre-Kindergarten we will have Mrs. Christy Berthold and Mrs. Christina Hicks. Mrs. Collette Kingrey will be our Kindergarten teacher and combined Kindergarten/1st grade teacher for the last class of the day. First grade will be taught by Mrs. Diane Phelps. We will be combining our 2nd & 3rd grade students who will be taught by a new teacher to our school, Mrs. Renee Rieke. We are also combining our 4th & 5th grade students, where Mrs. Kristina Burck will teach. Our 6th grade teacher is Mrs. Sheila Sletmoe. Mrs. Kim Spotts will continue as our elementary principal. At the Jr/Sr high level we have added teachers Carolyn Zuck and Susan Wade. Other Jr/Sr high school staff includes Jim Brown, Crystle Durham, Mac Jackson, Faith Kempf, Ray Kempf, and Oscar Stenberg. Mr. Tom Puddy will be our Jr/Sr high school principal.

New to the office staff is Cathy Brown who will be working with Cynnamon Hawkins in the front office. Working in the accounting office is Earl Russell, and Carol Wagar will be coordinating the International Student Program. Carol Yates is the Business Manager and Development Director. I will continue to serve as Superintendent and Development Director Donor Relations.

We are continuing to grow in the number of students coming to us from Washington. As a result, we are adding a bus stop in White Salmon at Bubba’s Brew coffee spot. Please see the attached bus schedule and note the new scheduled stops.

Be an informed parent — attend our “Back to School” night for parents only at 7:00 PM Thursday, September 17th. This is your time to meet the teachers and learn more about their plans for the upcoming year, goals and expectations, communication, and general classroom procedures.

Thank you for entrusting your students to us here at Horizon. We are anticipating a great year. If at any time you have any questions or concerning, please feel free to contact me.

God Bless,

Ken Block
Superintendent
541-387-3200 ext 1108

06-02-09 - From the Board Chair
Operating a high quality Christian school at an affordable cost is a continuing challenge. Read more... (PDF file)

04-28-09 - Horizon Athletic Director Receives Award
Oscar Stenberg has been named Athletic Director of the Year for the 1A division, by the Oregon Athletic Director Association. Stenberg, who has been with the Horizon and its predecessor schools since 1977, has been instrumental in developing the sports program. Athletics is viewed as an important element of the school’s mission for developing strong academic students who are servant/leaders with outstanding character.

As one of the founders of the school, Stenberg aggressively pursued the development of a sports schedule that included competition with other Christian schools in volleyball, basketball, track & field, cross country, and table tennis. In 2000 the school began competing in the OSAA 1A league and currently offers soccer, basketball, and golf.

“My philosophy is that each sport provides unique opportunities for developing not only skills, but character. I want these kids to understand that they are playing with a bigger purpose in mind – one of honoring God. What happens out on the basketball court, soccer pitch, or the golf course is another ‘classroom’ teaching opportunity. ” commented Stenberg. The attitude of character first is now part of the DNA at Horizon and has filtered down to the coaches who take skill building and character development as the core reason for their participation in Horizon’s sports program.

“We all have a great deal of respect for Oscar and the work he’s done at Horizon,” noted Superintendent Ken Block. “Ask any coach, ours or other schools, referees, athletes, or parents, and you hear nothing but respect and gratitude for the work that Oscar does. He genuinely cares about these kids and they know that. As a result, he has deeply impacted the lives of many students and their families throughout the Columbia Gorge for more than 30 years. Oscar is a worthy recipient of this award.”

Stenberg, who teaches in the Junior High program, has spent many years coaching community education, Little League, and Dynamo teams. He was a nominee for the Hood River County Excellence in Education/Outstanding Teacher Award, received the 2004 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, and the 2005 Hood River Dynamos Soccer Club “Golden Boot Award.”

Stenberg also credits his wife, Helen, as being his “right-hand person.” They have nine children who have participated in the athletic program and continue to enjoy sports.

03-30-09 - Tuition Rates for 2009-2010 To Remain The Same
The Horizon Christian School Board of Directors has announced that tuition rates for the 2009-10 school year will remain unchanged from tuition rates for the 2008-09 school year. Horizon Board Chair Don Hoffman commented on the action taken at the March 17, 2009 board meeting by saying there are several factors that were considered in making this decision.

“Horizon Christian is currently experiencing record enrollment and there have been an unprecedented number of inquiries in the past 12 months. Taking into consideration the unsettled economy, the Board believes the best strategy is to hold the current tuition rates steady for the 2009-10 school year.”

He commented further that, “Expanding enrollment is a strategic goal of Horizon. Currently the school has an average of 13 students per classroom, so we have room for additional students while still maintaining a desirable student to teacher ratio of less than 20.

Ken Block, Horizon’s Superintendent, added that, “The educational program at Horizon is a blend of academic excellence with a strong emphasis on character development. Horizon offers an educational option that is an excellent choice for many families. We are committed to serving our current families and encourage others to check us out.”

Horizon Christian is an inter-denominational school, regionally accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, educating approximately 200 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Horizon’s students, teachers, professional staff and board of directors attend over 25 churches throughout the Columbia Gorge. Horizon is committed to providing a “Second to None” education taught from a Biblical worldview. Horizon Christian School is located at 700 Pacific Avenue, Hood River. For more information about enrollment, contact the school at (541) 387-3200.

03-19-09 - Oregon Tax Credit Bill
A bill that would give tax credits for K-12 education expenses and for donations to low-income scholarship programs is under consideration in Salem. Representative Matt Wingard was joined by 24 members from the house and senate in sponsoring the Rose Friedman Educational Opportunity Act (House Bill 2754). The bill is scheduled for a hearing by the House Committee on Education on March 25 at 1pm.

To contact your Oregon state representative and ask them to support HB 2754: Capitol Phone — 503-986-1452; Hood River Representative Suzanne VanOrman — email: rep.suzannevanorman@state.or.us. The Dalles Representative John Huffman — email: rep.johnhuffman@state.or.us. For more information about the bill go to www.oredtaxcredit.com.

02-25-09 - An Update from Don Hoffman, Board Chair
We live in interesting times. The Front page of the Oregonian proclaims “Oregon heading ‘into a pit”. The Dow Jones Industrial Stock Average recently sunk to a six year low. New claims for unemployment reached a 26 year high last week. Not for profit organizations are reporting declines in giving, coupled with an increase in the need for service. Churches are seeing a decrease in contributions, pay cuts, and some are reducing staff. Oregon public schools are discussing a reduction in the number of days for this year, and significant program cuts for next year in light of the new tax revenue forecast that was recently released. It is safe to say that the current economic situation has impacted every person in the U.S to some degree.
Read more... (PDF file)

02-17-09 - A Word from Tom Puddy, Secondary Principal and Teacher
Horizon is an incredible place with some fantastic things happening. Here are a few thoughts that have been running through my head lately.

We are in the middle of a very strategic battle for the lives and souls of some very precious young people we all love. We are seeing the Lord change lives right in front of our eyes. It is very incredible to see the changes, but it is not without a lot of prayer and faith expecting God to do what only He can do. And in the middle of it all, we are growing to a point Horizon has never been before. We have seen 18 new students enroll since the beginning of January making total enrollment 198 students. And that is a record breaking number! How incredible is that with some people speaking such unbelief about our economy. The Scripture teaches us that “The Kingdom of Heaven is forcefully advancing and the violent take it by force!” We must all get a little fervent in our prayers and begin to take our stand against the strongholds of the enemy. Many of these are coming down, but we all have a long ways to go. And love is the only weapon that will never, ever fail!

So, let’s all be very vigilant and watchful in prayer and take our stand for the very lives of these young people. They are all worth it and they all need to be built up so much. Together we are touching the world. If you would like to join up with our prayer team, call the office. It will soon be 50 people!

Never the victims, Always the victors!

11-21-08 - A Lesson on Thankfulness from an Alumni and Students in India
(Elizabeth Nagreen is a graduate of Horizon Christian School 2004 and George Fox University graduate. She is currently living in India with her sister and brother in-law and teaches at a school of about 30 students. The following is an excerpt from a recent letter which has a wonderful lesson of gratitude and thanksgiving.)

“A couple weeks ago, I taught an art lesson that introduced the concept of the color wheel and mixing colors. We started out by experimenting with mixing colors, and the students used what they discovered to complete a basic color wheel. I then turned them loose with primary colors of paint to mix their own colors and paint a picture. I was amazed at the silence in the classroom as the students worked hard on their pieces of art. When they were finished, I asked them to sit in a circle and share about their pieces. I asked the students to explain about what they had drawn and tell us why (their inspiration, etc.) What I got was something completely different. Meenu Bhatt was the first to share. She held up a beautiful picture of a flower and then went on to explain that she had always had a desire to work with and learn about color, and she even prayed that some day she would have a chance. She ended by thanking God and thanking me that she had the opportunity to learn about color and paint a picture. As we went around the circle, no one had any interest in talking about what they had painted. The subject of their paintings were so insignificant to them compared to the gratitude they wanted to express to God for giving them this incredible experience. It is probably unnecessary for me to tell you that I had tears in my eyes by the end. In all the art lessons and projects I have done with kids, I have never before gotten this kind of response. When I find myself wanting to complain about little inconveniences in life, now I have to stop and think about that moment and the gratitude my students had for such a small thing. It is so easy for me to be upset with little things, but how often do I stop to thank God for all the wonders he has created for me and all the privileges I have?”

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