EVANSTON — “I’m super excited, we have some cool stuff planned for this year,” Horizon High School Principal Bren Payne told the Herald. “Because we only have 50 to70 students, we can do things other schools with large populations can’t do. We are truly an alternative school with the freedom to be innovative.”

Traditionally, Horizon operated on a quarter system, with four quarters throughout the year. Each quarter was nine weeks which equate to an 18-week semester, with students taking seven to eight classes per day.

This year at Horizon, students will have four classes per day with each class being 87 to 90 minutes long. Students will have two classes before lunch and two classes after lunch. Horizon will now have eight mini-quarters. Each mini-quarter will have students taking four classes (for 4 1/2 weeks). This means by the end of nine weeks (the traditional quarter length), students will have eight classes they have taken. This schedule is referred to as an octant, meaning eight occurrences.

Each quarter will be four weeks and two days long, with a community involvement/alternative learning day between each quarter change. Since the school year will not start or end with one of the community involvement/alternative learning days, there will be a total of seven of those days for the year.

“Every student will be required to be involved in the community involvement/alternative learning days. This community service time will give community members a different perception of Horizon kids,” Payne said. “It will help both the students and the community at the same time. The alternative learning days will involve fun time, field trips and time to be out of the classroom.”

Another exciting innovation this year at Horizon is a requirement for every senior student to do an internship. Payne and teachers have been busy lining up businesses and organizations that will work with students. The internships will also be available to students in the other grades if they choose to do one.

A no-cellphone policy will be put in place this year, as well. There will be no cellphones allowed on a student’s person in the school building; they must be in backpacks or in a caddy at all times. The first time a student is seen with a cellphone on their person, they will have to take it to the office. On the third offense, the parents will be called to come pick up the cellphone and the school will ask the parents to keep the student’s cellphone at home during school hours.

“This will be a good way to keep bad stuff out of our building and lessen the stress that cellphone usage causes students,” Payne said. “Their focus should be on learning. We want to help students learn how to manage being in control of the cellphone and teach them they are the boss, not the phone. When they get into the work world most employers don’t allow cell phone use while at work.”

Horizon also welcomes a new history teacher, Sam Johnson, who comes from teaching at a Wyoming charter school.

“I want to add that we are accepting applications for enrollment now.” Payne said. “If anyone is thinking of dropping out of high school, please come see us first. We are truly an alternative high school and would love to have you here at Horizon.”