Students fulfill holiday wishes

SPANAWAY – Let 1,510 teens make a wish for someone else, and you can expect 64 requests for a yearbook. At Bethel High School, you’ll see yearnings for 14 iPods, seven letterman’s jackets, six cars and three months of unlimited tanning.

But you can also expect a plea for a surgery, clothing for babies and a bigger house for a low-income family.

Sean Warner wants his brother to survive a fight with cancer. David Harbison wants money to help his grandmother in Korea. Kayla Yuill wants classmate Michelle Swails to visit her father’s grave in Florida.

Every year, the 30 students of Bethel High’s leadership class have a month to fulfill as many requests as possible for the Winter Wishes assembly. It started five years ago with kids making wishes for themselves that were answered with mostly gag gifts and small favors.

As more wishes were granted, students took the task more seriously. The wishes became more earnest, and many were pleas for help.

This year, the kids at the school in this south Tacoma suburb had to make a wish for someone else. With no budget and hundreds of requests, the leadership class sorted out the possible from the impossible. Then they picked a few of the latter and tried their hardest.

Sean Warner’s brother with cancer has a baby on the way. He wants the family to have enough money to live comfortably.

“I cant cure the cancer,” teacher Deb Caramandi said, “and I can’t make them financially stable forever, but I can get a bunch of gift cards for $350 from the teachers.”

The search has no limit. Students cajoled parents, businesses and social service agencies. They sent unanswered appeals to Oprah, KOMOs “Northwest Afternoon”, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“I wrote Dr. Phil,” said Lisa Martin, the leadership teacher. “I’m that desperate.”

Some wishes were so personal that the teachers keep them anonymous. Through community connections, they found a surgeon to donate an elective procedure to a student.

Others were granted with great ceremony at the assembly Tuesday.

Zach Smith wished for a prom dress for his girlfriend, Kaylee Copeland. She’s saving money for college and he wanted her to have a nice outfit.

The kids found the dress, no problem. They also invited Zach’s sick mother to watch his surprise as they presented him with certificates for flowers, tuxedo rental, dinner and photos.

Marco Gonzales wanted a bed for his cousin, Agape Gonzales. She just arrived from Hong Kong and has nothing.

The leadership students and teachers located a new mattress and box-spring. Then a bed, dresser and frame were donated by The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse. The faculty chipped in for linens. They set it up in the gym for the assembly.

“He came in the other day,” Carimandi said, “and we said we granted your wish. Your cousin will get a bed. He started crying and jumping around he was so happy.”

Some requests exceed the abilities and resources of the leadership class, a collection of students learning to network, lead and serve. So they improvise.

Luke Herbrand wanted snow. So Clarissa Snow dressed in white and dumped fake flakes on his head.

They couldn’t afford all those iPods, but they had two donated and held a drawing.

Last year the class scrounged up enough donated frequent-flier miles to send a student to Minnesota to visit a father she hadn’t seen in years.

This year, two dozen travel requests rolled in, most to visit relatives. The wish-granters called and called, but most airline miles had gone to Hurricane Katrina victims, so none were granted.

In the end, about half of the wishes were fulfilled this year, from a plate of bacon to the bedroom set.

Allbree Warner’s two favorite custodians will have their houses cleaned. The soccer team will get new warm-ups, thanks to Skye Flosi’s wish.

Though not every wish comes true, Martin, the teacher, said students recognize the effort behind those that are fulfilled.

“Kids want to feel special and appreciated and that’s what gets accomplished, much more than getting a bag of Skittles.”