Impactful. 

That’s what Wish Week means to sophomore Student Leadership (StudLe) member Ellena Harper. Harper has experienced Wish Week through multiple perspectives, once as a part of the student body and now as a leader involved in organizing the week of festivities.  

“It’s a whole new perspective of the work that goes behind it [Wish Week],” Harper said. “It’s just so crazy seeing all the hard work and determination that goes into every single detail and what makes it so successful. I think it’s amazing.” 

As a method to ensure a successful and memorable week, StudLe students divide into small groups to work on specific components of Wish Week.

“There’s a billion different groups. Seniors Colby Field and Kate Sherman organized everyone [into their groups] depending on what they’re good at or what they have backgrounds in,” Harper said. 

This year, Harper worked on the Friday assembly. She has been coordinating this essential day of Wish Week for months, beginning in the late fall. Most of the Wish Week planning takes place during the school day, specifically during seventh period when the entire StudLe program is together. 

Additional responsibilities include selling T-shirts during lunch and scheduling out of school meetings, phone calls and trips, all in support of Wish Week. Despite the high level of commitment and work, Harper manages to balance it all. 

“I feel there’s not much I have to do after school. If you don’t get stuff done within class, then it’s your responsibility to go do it outside of class,” Harper said. 

Occasionally, balancing academics and a social life does get the best of Harper. Missing class and long days of working are usually the cause of the imbalance.  Wish Week circumstantially affects this, as the StudLe students devote an immense amount of time to attending and foreseeing the events. 

“For the most part, I’ve been able to manage everything because of seventh [period],”Harper said. “It’s just so easy to fall behind in class, and especially because we’ve been missing a bunch of school because of Wish Week.”