Mad Week is something that Heritage does near the end of the school year every year where we have a Make-A-Wish kid come to our school and share their story, and in return the school raises money to make their wish and other kids' wishes come true.
This year, our kid’s name is Ingrid. She is a 10-year-old girl fighting cancer, though luckily her parents were able to get treatment for her. She sadly had 2 tumors on her brain, but after extensive care and lots of chemotherapy, she is now in remission.
Wish Week has progressed extensively over the years. Student government teacher Ms. Henderson says, “I think interest in it has improved. This is the third year that we have done it here at Heritage. The first time we did it, we established what Wish Week is and how it helps that kid. You get to see the kid, and you get to see how it impacts that kid. It gains more interest and makes people feel more involved.”
Similarly, Ryan Schmidt ‘27 says, “I like this week a lot because it’s a chance to raise money to help someone and support a cause that's really important and so much bigger than you. We only get one chance a year to branch out and help others in our community. It’s gotten much better because we have tried to do bigger things to show our support for that kid.”
This year, Heritage was able to put on a Moana-themed drone show for Ingrid, and Schmidt was a big part of this. He said, “To me, I enjoy that tech side of stuff. I saw another school do a drone show, and I thought it was really cool. I was inspired by this and thought we could do something bigger, but my main goal was to make more money. I also just thought it was a cool way to show my support.”
Heritage Wish Week is a chance for students and staff to give and support others that only comes once a year and it is a huge part of what it means to be an Eagle.