D'on Edwards - Featured Alumni
D’on Lauren Edwards is currently studying Fashion Design at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. D’on is a graduate of Horizon Christian School in 2018 and attended Horizon for six years. While at HCS she was the president of National Honor’s Society as well as being class president for her freshman year. While enrolled at Horizon, she was a part of the Portland Ballet Pre-Professional Company for 5 years, where she performed the leading role of the Snow Queen as well as the Arabian Princess in the Nutcracker.
D’on has recently been awarded the Gucci North America Changemakers and Council of Fashion Designers of North America (CFDA) Scholars by Design Award. This award comes with a $20,000 scholarship to attend the Gucci Summer Scholars Program. We are so proud of D’on and her accomplishments in the design industry. Read more to hear about how Horizon Christian School impacted her life and prepared her to pursue this career path.
HCS: What things about Horizon Christian School made it a great school experience for you?
D’on: I loved all the teachers I had who were caring but made the material easy and exciting to learn. I just enjoyed how the horizon faculty and staff were all caring, very nice and always gave examples of Christ-like behavior.
HCS: What was a favorite event from your time at Horizon?
D’on: I loved Senior Spring Formal or Junior Year Color Wars when our class won!.JPG)
HCS: What class or classes did you like the most and why?
D’on: I enjoyed Statistics with Mr. Espinoza and Writing 121 with Mrs. Carlson. I enjoyed their classes, the energy that they had during class, and they were both extremely helpful with class work, assignments and tests that I needed help on.
HCS: Were there specific teachers, staff or coaches who had a positive impact on your life?
D’on: Karolyn Steele and Mrs. Carlson. What I have learned from both is to always strive for the best and any goals or dreams that I may have that may seem impossible, but I am able to reach them by doing the hard work to get there.
HCS: How did Horizon Christian prepare you for life after high school?
D’on: HCHS prepared me to learn how to develop and have a strong relationship with God and to prepare myself for the workload and expectations to meet when I went off to college
HCS: What did you like best about Horizon Christian?
D’on: I enjoyed that Christ was the structure and foundation of everything we did at HCHS and the community, faculty and staff were all welcoming, caring and truly cared to see every student succeed in school and in life.
HCS: What advice would you give to other students who are considering HCS?
D’on: HCS is a very welcoming school with kind and supportive students and staff. Be prepared for the workload, especially if you are taking the honors route. But all the work and time management skills you develop prepares you for college.
It was a pleasure having D’on at Horizon and we are both in awe and inspired by her artistic accomplishments. We are excited about the influence and impact she will be having in this industry for many years to come. Our Horizon Christian School community is so incredibly proud of her!
Meet Miss Lindsay
We would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to Catherine Lindsay, who teaches 1st grade for us. Miss Lindsay attended Horizon Christian School for seven years and graduated in 2016. Catherine’s family moved to Oregon from Canada in the summer of 2009 and promptly enrolled all three of their children (Jeff- 11th, David- 9th, and Catherine- 6th). All three siblings graduated with us, and we now have the pleasure of another alumni student join our teaching team. Please continue reading to learn more about this wonderful new addition.
HCS: What clubs, sports or activities did you participate in at HCHS?
Miss Lindsay: I played on the volleyball team for all four years of high school. I was also part of National Honor Society and during my senior year I was co-class president.
HCS: What 2-3 things about Horizon Christian made it a great school experience for you?
Miss Lindsay: Horizon was a great school experience for me because it is a place where you are known as a student and have teachers who genuinely want to pour into your life, and help you grow socially, academically, and spiritually. It is a place where I was encouraged and felt comfortable to try new things and activities. Horizon Christian helped me grow in my leadership skills and gain experiences that I may not have had in a bigger school community.
HCS: Were there specific teachers, staff or coaches who had a positive impact on your life? If so, please share about them and the impact they made.
Miss Lindsay: There were many coaches and teachers who poured into my life while I was at Horizon; however, Gary Custis, my Bible teacher during my last two years of high school, made a huge impact on my life. Not only did he help me grow more in my faith and dive deeper in my understanding of the Bible, but he and his wife were also mentors to me as I transitioned from high school to college. In his class, he taught me how to defend my faith and was a tremendous example of a Christ follower.
HCS: How did Horizon Christian prepare you academically for life after high school?
Miss Lindsay: Horizon helped prepare me for life after high school and the academic rigor that college entails. My teachers challenged me academically and gave me valuable skills and study habits that helped me throughout my college years. Horizon also offered me dual credit classes, which not only helped save money, but gave me a head start with college credits, helping me graduate earlier. Taking Writing 121 with Carrie Carlson was the best decision I could have made during high school because she challenged me and prepared me for what professors expect in college essays.
HCS: What grade level do you teach and what attracted you to want to teach at HCS?
Miss Lindsay: I wanted to teach at Horizon because it is a community that I had been a part of as a student and had such a positive experience with. The positive and welcoming community that Horizon exudes was something that I wanted to be a part of as a teacher. Also, having the opportunity to teach alongside some of my previous teachers has been such a wonderful transition and experience during my first year here as a teacher.
HCS: What motivates you as a teacher and what are a few of your greatest experiences so far?
Miss Lindsay: As a teacher, I am motivated by children's natural curiosity about life and their enthusiasm to learn. Watching students grow and learn new things is such a rewarding experience that I am blessed to be a part of. I love to be a part of their "ah-ha" moments when they may get a difficult concept and their face lights up with excitement and understanding. A few of my greatest experiences have come from sitting down and reading with students. But the greatest experience is getting to connect and create a relationship with my students each day.
HCS: Where did life take you after graduation and update us on your current family situation.
Miss Lindsay: After graduation, I attended Oregon State University for four years. While I was there, I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and Human Development, and Family Sciences. I have moved back to Wilsonville where I am now closer to my family and my newborn nephew!
HCS: What are some of your hobbies and what do you like to do in your free time?
Miss Lindsay: In my free time, I love to be outdoors. Whether that is hiking, camping, skiing, or kayaking - I love to be outside admiring and enjoying God's creation. Some of my favorite places to visit are the mountains and National Parks. I also love to sit down and read a good mystery or historical fiction book or do a puzzle.
HCS: From a former student and now a teacher's perspective...Why should a family choose Horizon Christian School for their child?
Miss Lindsay: Horizon Christian is a place where students are genuinely known and cared for by teachers and staff. They are challenged academically and spiritually - preparing them for life after high school. It is a place where a student is given many opportunities to try new things and create new passions. The small community provides a safe school experience where lasting memories and friendships can be made.
We are proud of the fact that our graduates believe and support the educational ministry of Horizon Christian School so much that they are returning to us as staff and teachers. Thank you, Catherine, for the joy you bring to your co-workers and your students. We are better because of you and we look forward to having even more of our graduates return and carry on our 40-year tradition of providing a Quality Christian Education.
Meet Mr. Platt
We opened our high school in the fall of 2006 with around seventy five students in 9th through 11th grade and now we are heading into our 15th year. Among our very first students in 2006 was sophomore, Josh Platt who transferred to us from Southridge High School. Josh graduated in 2009 as our Salutatorian, member of NHS, Scholar Graduate, and having earned our Timothian Award, representing his Christ-like character. Keep reading below to learn more about our first alumni who returned to Horizon Christian School as a valued teacher, coach, and trainer in 2014 and continues to be a very impactful school leader.
HCS: What clubs, sports or activities did you participate in at HCHS?
Mr. Platt: Football (2007-08), Track and Field (2007-09), Varsity Basketball (2006-2009), Cross Country (2008-09), ASB Vice President, and National Honor Society President to name a few. I was also lucky enough to be on the State Basketball team in 2008 and 2009 where we took 2nd place both years.
HCS: What 2-3 things about Horizon Christian made it a great school experience for you?
Mr. Platt: The two things that made Horizon a great experience for me were the opportunities I had to experience a variety of activities and develop my leadership skills, and the family atmosphere. Horizon cultivated an atmosphere where I felt like I belonged to a community that cared about me and my relationship with God.
HCS: Were there specific teachers, staff or coaches who had a positive impact on your life? If so, please share about them and the impact they made.
Mr. Platt: All three of my coaches had a tremendous positive influence on my life. Scott Olson, George Crace, and Dave Brown. These three men taught me about their respective sports and helped me to be the best competitor that I could be, but they also poured into my life as a Christ-follower. They modeled what it means to be an imperfect person walking in relationship with a perfect God.
HCS: What attracted you to want to teach at HCS and what motivates you as a teacher?
Mr. Platt: This is the start of my 7th year teaching Health and PE for Horizon Christian High School. I felt a calling from God to join the school community. The family atmosphere and Christian environment provides the perfect opportunity to develop authentic relationships and have a lasting positive impact on students' lives. What motivates me as a teacher is the transformation and growth of my students as I watch them progress and achieve their goals. My greatest experiences have always involved guiding students to their full athletic potential.
HCS: How are you involved in coaching at Horizon Christian?
Mr. Platt: In the past I served as the head junior varsity boys basketball coach for 2 years and I currently serve as the head track & field coach. My philosophy of coaching is all about the growth of each athlete over the course of a season. Not only do I want our student athletes to improve in their athletic performance, but I want to see them grow mentally, socially, and spiritually as well. Track and field offer students that platform. We spend time as a team every week emphasizing spiritual formation and looking at how our relationship with God impacts our relationship with our sport.
HCS: Explain your role as Athletic Development Coach.
Mr. Platt: Using our unique training system that has been developed by some top minds in this field, students are prepared with tools to prevent injuries, build core strength, stretch their endurance, and be prepared for competition and equipped with the skills needed to maximize their athletics potential. I teach this not only in the 8 semesters of Athletic Training but also by customized training after school.
HCS: Where did life take you after graduation?
Mr. Platt: After graduating from Horizon, I attended both George Fox University and Portland State, graduating with a degree in Health Studies. After beginning my teaching career at Horizon Elementary & Middle School, I returned to George Fox in their MAT program and graduated with my Master's in Teaching in 2017 with concentrations in PE & Health. I am now married to the love of my life, Anna Platt, and we currently live in Salem, Oregon. We enjoy outdoor activities, especially hiking, as well as spending time with family and friends.
HCS: From a former student and now a teacher's perspective, why should a family choose Horizon Christian School for their child?
Mr. Platt: You should choose Horizon because we care about the development of your student. Horizon strives to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to connect with our community, prepare them academically, and challenge them spiritually.
Thank you, Josh Platt, for sharing with us your journey from being a student to becoming a staff member.
If you are interested in exploring what your journey might look like, please contact us to become a part of this amazing school community.
