Rocky Canyon HS Wish Week
An extraordinary week for an extraordinary kid
By Maddy Merritt and Kira Zizzo, RCHS intern writers; photos courtesy of Kira Zizzo
Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) students had the privilege to get to know Fabian, a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. Fabian’s wish was to go to Legoland. Fabian and his family made their first appearance at the Wish Week opening assembly at RCHS. At the assembly, during Miracle Minute, Fabian and his family led the school in pouring change into buckets throughout the gym to kick off Wish Week.
RCHS Make-A-Wish kid Fabian chants alongside the “golden boys” in the gym during the Wish Week closing assembly.
Although the amount raised during Miracle Minute was more than enough to grant Fabian’s wish, Wish Week is about so much more. Students remained involved throughout the whole week, attending the sports events and partaking in Dish for a Wish nights where local restaurants donated a percentage of their proceeds to Colorado’s Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I believe this cause is important, as chronic health issues yield hardships and lasting repercussions for the kids and their families, and being able to offer a period of positivity truly makes a difference … what our community can do for the life of one person is indicative of what a society can do for the world as a whole,” Carter Brand, a senior at RCHS said.
“Meeting Fabian was great! He is such a sweet kid who is not only kind but also very creative and fun to be around,” Joshua Lederman, a sophomore at RCHS said. “To me, Wish Week is about the unity of our school … I love to see the wish kids’ excitement during the assemblies and events. There is no better cure for them than the love from students during Wish Week.”
At the Dare To Share Your Hair event during Wish Week, RCHS sophomore Alison Merritt anticipates the final snip of her last ponytail. Merritt donated eight inches this year and donated her hair freshman year as part of her plan to donate her hair all four years of high school. “It felt scary at first and my head felt light, but after it was done, I was really happy that I ended up doing it,” Merritt said.
During Wish Week, students and staff had the opportunity to donate their hair during the Dare to Share Your Hair event. A total of 131 students and staff participated, and 88 donated 330 ponytails that were collected by the Stacey James Institute. Students with hair too short to donate shaved their heads and were still able to support children who have lost their own hair.
“I donated my hair because my grandma has breast cancer, and I really wanted to show her my support,” Addy Goujon, a sophomore said. Goujon and her sister, Sydney, both donated.
Fabian and his family were the 11th Make-A-Wish family that RCHS has been lucky to get to know and connect with through Wish Week. At the end of the week, RCHS raised $62,404.24! Fabian’s wish to go to Legoland was granted along with seven other wishes. As Wish Week concluded during the closing assembly, the cheer “We love Fabian” echoed throughout the gym as Fabian beamed in front of a sea of students.
