Community Impact
Horizons affiliate programs are locally owned and operated, and as a result, embed deeply into the communities they serve. Each program involves students, families, teachers, host school members, community leaders, local businesses, members of the local school district, funders, and more, creating a truly unique and fully localized learning community.
These partnerships mean that the impact of Horizons is felt well beyond the immediate students and families the program serves. Horizons teachers return to their school-year classrooms feeling energized and full of creative ideas after the summer session, bringing these benefits to their institutions year-round. The host school community is typically involved with the program as volunteers, fundraisers, and even staff members, while local businesses and community members can volunteer their space and time for field trips, guest speakers, and special events. And, with students, families, and teachers returning year after year, these long-term relationships lead to stronger partnerships and more student success. Over time, the Horizons program becomes a fixture in the community.
For the four of us, four private schools doing something together in a community, that's pretty amazing. Because of the way a private school operates, we are each trying to get students in our schools. And so it naturally pits you against each other... But what Horizons actually does is it allows our four schools to share a kind of a common mission. So we can look at our community and say, this is how the independent schools are making our broader Savannah better.
- Chris Harmon, Head of School, Savannah Christian Preparatory School