Powell students rallied and raised $7,500 during Make a Wish week Jan. 20-24, after the Powell High School student council incorporated a variety of techniques ranging from “toilet tag” to fundraising at sporting events.

During the annual Make a Wish assembly on Jan. 23 at PHS, $2,000 of their $5,000 goal had been raised, Principal Tim Wormald announced alongside Student Body President Kinley Cooley and Student Body Vice President Katie Morrison. 

This year had more community support than in past years, Morrison told the Tribune on Monday, with both Cody and Powell businesses donating baskets and other goods for the silent auction.

This year’s Make a Wish week was actually earlier than normal, Morrison noted; it was moved to January due to a lack of home basketball games in February.

“Being so close to Christmas is kind of hard, especially getting money out of people's pockets … but I'd say, considering the fact, we had to plan it kind of last minute, and because it was so close to Christmas, I think it went really well,” said Morrison, a Tribune intern.

Powell High’s student council has been supporting Make a Wish for several years, Wormald told students during the assembly, and while they don’t know exactly where the money goes they know it makes a difference in a young person’s life.

“We know it goes to that organization, and it helps those young people really have some hope and give them something to look forward to in their life [where they’ve had] to deal with so much, so it's a really good cause,” he said.

Following the introduction the gymnasium floor became a stage for a variety of games designed to drive earnings higher. Several student teams competed against the dynamic duo of Wormald and teacher Nick Fulton while students dropped cash in buckets corresponding with their favored team. When the dust settled, it was Wormald and Fulton who proved their mettle and earned a box of donuts for the front office.

Out of the $7,500 raised, $1,020 came from raffling off parking spots following the teacher vs. student games, with Toby Sessions, who bid $340, deciding to pay $500. Senior Class President Maggie Atkinson won the other spot thanks to a bid of $520, according to numbers provided by Kaitlin Loeffen, one of the student council advisers.

Money was further added to the pot thanks to $1,200 raised by Powell Middle School and $2,000 from Powell High’s silent auction. More money is expected to come in with a few things still in the works.