Ellenberger, Sangston Horizon Honors' student-athletes of the year

They were both named the Ahwatukee Foothills News' student-athletes of the year, but certificates and awards aren't what Anne Ellenberger and Keith Sangston will remember most about their years at Horizon Honors High School.

"Everything was so special in its own way," said Ellenberger, who was also a finalist in the state-wide Everyday Hero Award sponsored by the Arizona Interscholastic Association and Cox Communications.

She was a member of the first girls team in school history to get into the state basketball playoffs where the Eagles got to the quarterfinals.

She also played volleyball, a sport she will continue to play at Bucknell University, and was a flutist in the Honors symphony band.

"Making it to state in basketball was amazing," Ellenberger said, "but building a group of friends where you could talk about anything was really special."

That will also Sangston's lasting memory.

"The friendships I developed are so sincere and close," said Sangston who had been attending Horizon since sixth grade. "I think what I'll remember most are the friendships."

Sangston was a soccer player and practiced martial arts like Tae Kwon Do.

Both would recommend that incoming freshmen get involved in sports as well as other activities outside the classroom.

"It really gets you involved with the school and it's a good way to meet new people," Sangston said. "In a small school it's easy to get involved and meet a lot of people."

Ellenberger wasn't involved in sports before a physical education teacher she had while living in Japan during her middle school years told her she would be on some type of team while she was there.

"I e-mailed him about six months ago thanking him for making me play volleyball and basketball," she said, "because without those sports who knows what I would be doing today."

Ellenberger echoes Sangston's advice to get involved in sports early in the high school experience.

"That's where you make the connections," she added. "My best friends are from sports teams. Even in the music program you all work together for performance time when it sounds amazing."

Both plan to major in engineering in college, Ellenberger at Bucknell and Sangston at the University of Arizona.

"I've always been a naturally logical thinker," Sangston said. "Science and math have always been my favorite subjects and what I look forward too the most."

He plans to enter the aerospace or biomedical fields. Ellenberger is gearing toward being a chemical engineer.

Both graduated Monday night.

"It hit me then that things would never be the same," Ellenberger said. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry and I didn't, but there were some parts that were really heartwarming and special."

Memories like that can't be framed and hung on a wall.

See the rest of AFN's complete graduation coverage:

Graduation Night:

DV and MP weather the rain during graduation

Wet weather won't keep Mountain Pointe grads down

Desert Vista's '08 class record-breaking

Class Lists:

Mountain Pointe

Desert Vista

Features:

Identical triplets set to walk in Mountain Pointe grad ceremony

Boatload of DV grads to become midshipmen - or women

Sports:

Carman, Hood MP's scholar-athletes of the year

Shepard, Kline DV's scholar-athletes of the year

Ellenberger, Sangston Horizon Honors' student-athletes of the year