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Horizon School honors Class of 2025; scholarships and state seal diplomas awarded
Summary
Horizon School held its 2025 commencement at Palm Desert High School, where administrators and Desert Sands Unified board members presented diplomas, Golden State Seal of Merit recognitions and community scholarships including a $1,000 Harry Muñoz Jr. memorial award.
Jose Ramirez, principal at Horizon School, opened the commencement ceremony, saying, "Good evening. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Jose Ramirez. I am the principal at Horizon School. And I am honored to celebrate commencement with Horizon School's class of 2025." Ramirez introduced district and city officials, school staff and the platform party for the graduation held at Palm Desert High School.
The ceremony included presentations of the Golden State Seal of Merit diploma, community scholarships and formal conferral of diplomas. Michael Williams explained the Golden State Seal of Merit diploma and its statutory origins, saying, "Assembly Bill 3,488 approved on July 1996 called for the development of the Golden State Seal of Merit diploma. It recognizes public school graduates who have demonstrated their mastery of high school curriculum and at least 6 subject areas, 4 of which are English language arts, mathematic, science, and US history." Ramirez and Horizon staff then announced the district recognition and graduates.
Humberto Alvarez, a member of the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education, offered board greetings to graduates: "Today, we celebrate not just a milestone, but a journey that's been uniquely yours." Alvarez emphasized that Horizon provides tailored learning environments that helped students who did not thrive in traditional settings.
The Coachella Valley Community Trust presented the Harry Muñoz Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Toni Bridal, introduced as a board member and scholarship chairperson for the Coachella Valley Community Trust, said the scholarship honors the late educator and community leader and announced a $1,000 award to Michael Rodriguez. Bridal said, "CVCT is proud to honor Harry by renaming the scholarship program the Harry Munoz Junior Memorial Scholarship Program in recognition of the man that made capturing kids hearts a daily practice. With that being said, I would like to award this Harry Munoz Junior Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to Michael Rodriguez."
A representative of Walter Clark Legal Group presented a separate scholarship to two recipients listed in the program: Elizabeth Balmer and Maddox Hupp. During the ceremony, staff read the names of the graduates as diplomas were presented and the class was formally certified by school staff. Doctor Maeve Omar, on behalf of Horizon School staff, presented the class and Ramirez stated that each graduate "have met and many have exceeded the requirements set forth by the California State Board of Education and the Board of Trustees for Desert Sands Unified School District for a high school diploma."
Student speakers reflected on personal challenges and the role of Horizon's smaller, alternative setting in their progress. Anissa Rios, identified as a summa cum laude graduate, told classmates, "You deserve peace, joy, happiness, but most of all, you deserve to be here," and urged peers to seek kindness and support. The ceremony concluded with the traditional turning of tassels and a recessional instruction from school staff.
Details announced at the ceremony reflect program recognitions and local scholarship awards; no formal board actions or votes were recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.
