Super Kid: Elizabeth Horne, 17, Glacier Peak High School senior
Published 10:38 am Monday, September 28, 2009
Two schools: Glacier Peak High School might have opened a year ago, but Elizabeth Horne still spends considerable time at Snohomish High School. That’s where the Snohomish School District’s JROTC program is offered. She is the platoon leader for Glacier Peak and an officer in the program that also includes students from Snohomish and Monroe high schools.
Seeing it through: Elizabeth plans to be part of JROTC for all four years of high school. She has two JROTC courses, including a 6 a.m. “zero hour” class at Snohomish High School, before boarding the bus to Glacier Peak. The early morning routine and long hours outside of school are well worth it. “I just love it. It’s my life.”
Initial doubts: Elizabeth thought about quitting JROTC after her first week in her freshman year when someone yelled at her. Then, “I realized I have never done anything challenging before.” From that point on, she worked hard and took on increasing responsibilities.
Setting the stage: Elizabeth joined Drama Club last spring, but concedes, “I really have no acting talent.” She wants to help out in any way she can and hopes to be part of the stage crew.
Finding fellowship: Another activity she looks forward to is the One Voice Christian club, which meets once a week during lunch. “It’s kind of fellowship. It’s like you aren’t the only Christian kid in the school.”
Full load: Besides JROTC, Elizabeth also is taking college prep English, government and current issues, physics, calculus, and acting.
Future plans: She knows she wants to attend a four-year college, but she’s not sure where that will be. She’s undecided on a major but is considering secondary education and possibly becoming a math teacher. That could change when she gets to college. “How can anyone decide their life goal at 18?”
Good training: Working as a volunteer counselor at a Girl Scouts camp and being a teaching assistant in a first- and second-grade classroom broadened her interest in working with children some day.
In the middle: Her older brother, Daniel, 21, is a junior at the University of Idaho and her younger brother, James, 13, attends Valley View Middle School. Being the girl in between two brothers made her kind of tomboyish, she said, growing up, but she figures that was a good thing. “I got along with my brothers really well.”
Great escape: Her favorite place to visit is a family cabin on a lake near Cle Elum. She likes riding a pontoon bike on the lake and hiking up to a waterfall. “There’s no cell service. You just get away from technology.”
Furry friends: Her family has two rabbits, Rufus and Doofus. Rufus is a girl; Doofus is a boy. A wild rabbit that sometimes visits their yard has been named Poofus because it can disappear quickly.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
