JOE LANDO
Series Star/Co-Executive Producer

Joe Lando will serve as co-executive producer on the series and star as the lead character, Peter Scarbrow. Peter is a former stock-broker and financial whiz kid whose high-living degenerated into a nightmare of drugs and alcohol abuse. After recovering in a wilderness detox center, he dedicated his life to helping teens at-risk at the Horizon School.

Lando is best known for his six-year starring role as Byron Sully on the hit televison series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." Lando recently completed production on three independent feature films including "Blindness" with Vivian Wu (Joy Luck Club); "No Code of Conduct" with Charles Sheen and Martin Sheen and "Seeds of Doubt" with Peter Coyote. Last year Lando guest starred on "Tracy Takes On" and on the USA original film "Any Place But Home" which garnered some of the networks' highest ratings.

In othe recent television work, Lando guest starred on "Alien Nation," "The John Laroquette Show," "Homicide" and "JAG." After studying acting with Vincent Chase in Los Angeles, Lando started his professional acting career in New York where he landed a role on the daytime drama "One Life To Live." After a year he was signed to CBS for the pilot deal which led to "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman."

ANNE MARIE LODER

Anne Marie Loder portrays Sophie Becker, Pete Scarbrow's (Joe Lando) life-loving, thrill-seeking colleague and one of the chief counselors at Mt. Horizon. Loder had a recurring role as Stella Kowalski in the hit drama series "Due South," and has guest-starred in such series as "Earth: Final Conflict,", "F/X: The Series," "Goosebumps" and "Total Recall 2070." Her telefilms include Fox Family Channel's "Don't Look Behind You," the ABC mini-series "Family Pictures," "A song from the Heart" and "A Holiday for Love."

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN

Hayden Christensen stars as Scott Barringer, a brand-new resident at Mt. Horizon who harbors painful secrets as he tries to shed his drug addiction. Previously, Christensen guest-starred on Disney Channel's "The Famous Jett Jackson," Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?," Fox's "Goosebumps," and the syndicated "Forever Knight." He was also seen in Fox Family Channel's original film "Freefall." His other credits include the feature films "In the Mouth of Madness," directed by John Carpenter, and Sophia Coppola's acclaimed "The Virgin Suicides," as well as the telefilms "Purple Haze" and "No Greater Love."

JIM BYRNES

Jim Byrnes portrays wise Frank Markasian, owner and founder of Mt. Horizon, a progressive school for at-risk teens in Fox Family Channel's new original one-hour drama series "Higher Ground."

Byrnes has delighted audiences with pivotal roles on two highly-acclaimed series. From 1987 - 1990, Byrnes starred as the protective Lifeguard, providing hints and vocal back-up for undercover operative Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl) in the critically-acclaimed Stephen J. Cannell action drama. For five seasons, Byrnes played Joe Dawson, a bookstore owner dedicated to eliminating evil immortals in the smash syndicated adventure series "Highlander," concluding his run in 1998. He will reprise his role in the feature film "Highlander IV: World Without End," to be released in 2000.

Growing up in St. Louis, Mo., Byrnes studied acting at Boston University and St. Louis University. Before taking that path, Byrnes had considered the priesthood and had even been a professional shepherd.

His additional credits include the telefilms "Final Decent", "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story," "Christmas on Division Street," "In the Best Interest of the Child" and "Omen IV: The Awakening."

On the big screen, Bynres has been see in "Dirty Work," "Starlight," "Bloodhounds II," "Dream Man," "Suspicious Agenda," "Whale Music," "Harmony Cats," and "Drive, She Said."

Byrnes' has also lent his voice to the animated series "Beast Wars" Transformers."

A. J. COOK

A.J. Cook stars as Shelby Merrick, a flirtatious, too-sexy teenager who is plagued by self-doubt. Cook has been seen in "The Virgin Suicides," the directorial debut of Sophia Coppola. Her television experience includes the original Fox Family film "The Spiral Staircase," the telefilm "Blue Moon," and guest-starring roles in the syndicated series "Psi Factor" and Fox's "Goosebumps."

MEGHAN ORY

Meghan Ory portrays Juliette Waybourne, a beautiful teen who turned to overly destructive measures such as bulimia to get the attention she craved. Previously, Ory has been seen in "The Darkling," a Fox Family Channel original film, as well as the telefilm "Haley Wagner, Star." She has also guest-starred in the syndicated series "The Crow." Previously, the Canadian native starred in stage productions of "Wish Upon a Star," "All the World's a Stage," "Secret Garden," "Pinocchio" and "100 Years of Broadway."

KYLE DOWNES

Kyle Downes plays shy, intelligent, easily-embarrassed Ezra Friedkin, who must confront the problems stemming from his broken home and drug addiction while attending Mt. Horizon. A frequent guest-star on a host of series, Downes has appeared on episodes of "The Famous Jett Jackson," "Are You afraid of the Dark?," "La Femme Nikita," "Goosebumps" and "Psi Factor." He also was featured in the telefilms "The Secret Path" and Disney's "Mail to the Chief."

JEWEL STAITE

Jewel Staite stars as Daisy Lipenowski, a dark adolescent, hid from the pain of her alcoholic parents and years of emotional abuse beneath a mask of "Goth" make-up, clothes and piercing. Staite has a recurring role as Gabriella Da Vinci in the drama series "Da Vinci's Inquest," and has guest-starred in such series as "The X Files," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" The TV Show," and "Super Dave's All Stars."

Visit the Jewel Staite web site.

KANDYSE McCLURE

Kandyse McClure protrays Katherine Ann Cabot, an African-American girl adopted by white parents who is having trouble assimilating into either culture, much less both. McClure has also been seen in the telefilms "Prince of Mirrors" and Fox Family Channel's original film "Spiral Staircase." She was also in the feature film "Romeo Must Die." On stage, she has starred in productions of "Oklahoma" and "Merchant of Venice."

JORGE VARGAS

Jorge Vargas portrays Auggie Ciceros, a busted tagger who gratefully took Mt. Horizon over juvenile lock-up, and who, until now, has hidden a full complement of talent and intelligence. Vargas has guest-starred on such series as Chris Carter's "Millennium," the syndicated series "Viper," "Stargate" SG1," "Poltergeist," UPN's "The Sentinel" and Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" He has starred in the telefilms "Deceived by Trust," "The Genius," "Annie O," "Christmas on Division Street" and "My Son Johnny." His feature films include, "Excess Baggage" with Alicia Silverstone.