The week of February 9-13 was an important one for PHS. Make-A-Wish week is something that PHS is very passionate about, and every year, they try to make it better than the previous year. 

The themes for dress-up days this year were: Pajama Day, Decades Day, Celebrity Dress-Up, Red Carpet, and Blue and White Out. The student council promoted inclusion and ensured that everyone knew they had a say in determining the themes. 

“Dress up wise, I think that I would have preferred the days be different,” junior president Ryah Easum said. “We did let our student council vote this time. I do think we get wider participation when we let the whole student body vote instead of just us.” 

Students had both positive and negative feedback for the dress-up days. Some didn’t dress up at all, and some were very active participants. 

“I really liked them,” freshman Brielle Leyland said. “They helped challenge everyone to dress up, which I thought was awesome. I really loved the formal day on Thursday because I actually got to wear one of my favorite dresses.” 

Choosing dress-up days can sometimes prove to be mildly difficult due to the restrictions set by the school board and dress code. 

“They were more centered towards Make-A-Wish and star/Hollywood themes,” junior historian Taylor Iverson said. “While keeping the dress-up days appropriate and admission approved, they were decently easy and fun to get everyone involved.” 

PHS is usually very competitive in the state for those top fundraising spots. This year was a successful year for raising money, with reason to believe that our school exceeded the goal of $8,000 that was set by our student council. 

“We have always been one of the top five Make-A-Wish money bringers in the state, so this year we were in third place,” Easum said. “I myself am running for the student body next year, and I really hope to make a good impact, and hopefully try to get us to that first place.” 

Dress-up days are all based on participation from everyone. Without participation, there is no motivation from the students to dress up based on the themes.

“It’s hard to make a school passionate about a topic that they don’t understand,” Iverson said. “There was still quite a participation for the fun part, and a lot of subtle participation during the games or activities that made a bigger impact than a lot of students were aware of.” 

It’s important to the PHS student council that they preach awareness along with participation in the dress-up days. Making a school full of students feel passionate about Make-A-Wish week can prove to be very challenging. 

“Next year, our goal is to bank more on awareness,” Easum said. “We have had three students currently or past enrolled in Powell High School that have gotten their wish granted … so next year, if I am in that position, I do hope to push awareness along with financial gain.” 

This year was very successful both in participation and fundraising. Despite all this goodness, there is always something to improve on for next year to continue the activities.