Highlands Ranch High School makes wish come true

Students raise more than $25,000

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

During Highlands Ranch High School’s sixth annual Wish Week, students and faculty were able to make 9-year-old Beckett’s wish of going to Lake Powell come true. rough the Make A Wish Foundation, Beckett, his siblings Aidan and Vera, and parents Catarina and Ross experienced a week full of fun, emotion and support.

“Just the rst day when we came in and all the kids stood up and were cheering for him, that was huge and super emotional,” said Catarina. roughout the week, Highlands Ranch High School raised more than $25,000 for Beckett and his family. Beckett was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2020. In addition to COVID-19 adding more challenges, the family had to adapt to a new normal. Beckett is expected to be done with treatment in April.

“To have this experience at the tail end of that, it’s so awesome,” said Catarina. “You had the really hard and sad stu and now we’re ending it with a positive and magical experience.”

After watching a Youtube video of people getting launched o a blast bag into a lake, Beckett’s wish is to go to Lake Powell and do water activi- rival, with a pool noodle and saved Princess Peach.

In one last e ort to raise money, for one minute, students passed around buckets for spare change. e rest of the assembly included a poms performance with a special appearance by the athletic director. e students played nish the lyrics, played a life-size game of Hungry Hungry Hippos with Beckett and after growing his hair out for four years, one senior cut his hair o during the assembly.

Before Beckett joined Principal Dr. Christopher Page Jr. and the students in the Highlands Ranch High School chant, Principal Page addressed the students. Page said that he was proud of the community coming together to do something special. “ e thing that we appreciate more than anything else is a number of you did a great job this last week of silencing the noise, competitions and all of the other crazy things in our world and instead you came together and worked together to provide at least one magic wish,” said Page.

Beckett’s dad also addressed the high school with an emotional thank you.

“I just want to say how much we appreciate being with all of you,” said Ross. “You’ve really restored our faith in the future of America and the future of young people and you’ve been so inclusive and it’s been really really fun for us to spend this week with all of you.”