//MOLLY HOUSER//

For the Mountain Vista community, the morning of Friday, Feb. 7 started on a concerning note. After a week of preparation and excitement for the famous Wish Assembly — where Wish Kid Je’Moni would make his debut — the Douglas County School District called a snow day, cancelling school and any activities. The news broke at 4:36 a.m. over Twitter, and for the first time, students were disappointed in the snow day decision.

Immediately, Vista administration and lead organizer Lindsey Jaffe were flooded with concerned emails and phone calls. 

“Sometimes things are out of our control,” Principal Michael Weaver tweeted out to the community. “We will work on a plan to make sure the most important moments of Wish Week happen!!  Never seen so many sad about a snow day… hang in there – more info to come!!”

Hours after the news broke, Jaffe, along with others, tweeted what the new course of action would be. 

“Thank you all so much for your patience and support,” Jaffe tweeted. “We have so many different moving parts we had to consider over the past 6 hours but, ultimately, Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 is the best option! In the end, it was what was best for Je’Moni and his family! See you tomorrow!”

Nevertheless, the show must go on. Saturday, Feb. 8, had students waking up early and packing the gym for the assembly the whole community had been waiting for. Je’Moni’s debut to the community was nothing short of spectacular. 

Wish Kid Je’Moni is a 10-year-old playwright, with a passion for music, Broadway and cheese pizza. Despite being only 10, Je’Moni created his own musical, “Lost.” Je’Moni had one wish: to see his musical come to life. With the help of the Vista theater department, VistaNow Video and Student Leadership (StudLe), his wish came true at the assembly. 

“I was really excited to see something I did and for it all to come together,” Je’Moni said. “[Mountain Vista] has been so nice to me. They were cheering me on.” 

As part of Je’Moni’s wish, members of the theater department performed a scene from “Lost” in the main gym. Students sat on the floor surrounding the stage and watched as Je’Moni’s vision came to life. 

“Countless hours went to making this production,” senior Caitlin Story said. “He [Je’Moni] hadn’t seen any of the songs we added, or the parts we added, so it was cool to see him watch it. He is very energetic, and so fun to be around.”

After the actors finished performing the scene, Je’Moni sported the brightest smile. He was brought onto the stage, and took a bow with the cast. 

“[Being a Wish kid] makes me feel special, and it makes me feel important,” Je’Moni said. 

After showcasing the production and thanking the cast and crew, the party began. Each year, Vista holds giant dance parties — often referred to by students as a ‘rave’ — to celebrate the Wish kid and their journeys. This year was no exception to the tradition, as Je’Moni and his little sister made their way to the front of the stage ready to dance. 

“I think [the raves] are fun,” senior Victoria Heydman said. “As long as everyone is mindful of their surroundings, then they are a fun and unique addition to Wish Week assemblies.” 

Despite the fun, the shows ultimately came to an end. The stage needed to be taken down quickly, as the gym had been previously booked for men’s basketball. JV and varsity played Falcon High School shortly after. 

After a quick game, JV defeated the Falcons by a very large margin. Varsity faced the same school, defeating the team 102-66. 

“I don’t think that the basketball game supported Je’Moni, I think Je’Moni supported us,” junior player Ben Bowen said. “We knew exactly who we were playing for. It was awesome to have him there. He came onto the court at halftime and shot around with us. It was an amazing experience for all of us playing the game.” 

Je’Moni shot hoops with the varsity players during halftime, while StudLe encouraged the crowd with cheers. Then, the student body performed the well-practiced Wish Week cheer with Je’Moni. 

The Wish assembly wasn’t the only event rescheduled, however. Before the snow day was announced, State Women’s Wrestling was set to wrestle both Friday and Saturday at Northglenn High School. After the announcement, the tournament was rescheduled to only Saturday. Vista had one wrestler representing at State. Sophomore Lauren Dipasquale, a first-year wrestler, made State and made the long drive to Thorton. 

“[My matches were] harder,” Dipasquale said. “I could’ve done better but at least I made it to state my first year.”  

Not everyone could meet the rescheduled Saturday assembly, however. Women’s swim and dive were set to compete at leagues on Saturday. After winning last year, the pressure was on for the swimmers. The team came out successful again, winning their league championship for the second year in a row.

The snowstorm may have made driving difficult, but it didn’t dampen spirits. StudLe announced that because the week had been cut short, the following week would be used to make up cancelled events and introduced new spirit days. Vista Idol, a Wish Week tradition, was rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 10. Students are encouraged to participate in the day’s spirit day, ‘Vista-Out.’ Tuesday is a ‘Jersey-Out,’ in anticipation of Ruff and Tuff happening Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, students are encouraged to partake in the ‘White-Out’ dress up day. Thursday students are asked to wear the new ‘Be A Good Person’ shirts for the reveal ceremony, where StudLe reveals how much money was raised for Make-A-Wish.