Winter Wishes Unites Cascade Students and Community Through Holiday Giving

On the Wednesday before the Winter Wishes event, Leadership students Arlo Gibbs (12), Kikkan Brine (12), and Gretchen Leach (12) ran a hot cocoa bar. Students who brought a mug received a cup of hot cocoa topped with crushed candy cane and whipped cream. This Spirit Week activity helped build excitement for Winter Wishes. Photo credit: Roselyn Robison

It may be cold outside, but Cascade High School students are warming hearts through the school’s annual Winter Wishes event. Launched during the 2024–2025 school year, Winter Wishes is a holiday tradition created by CHS Leadership. According to the event agenda, the program allows students to make “one wish for a present for themselves and another wish for a friend,” with staff members, families, and community members working together to fulfill those wishes. 

“This year, we are much more confident in the logistics of running this program and put a lot of effort into promotion. We attended PTSA and Rotary meetings, reached out to The Leavenworth Echo about running a story about this event, provided [CHS vice principal] Bibby with language and graphics for her weekly parent email, posted flyers near the gymnasium and all over town,” said Leadership advisor Ms. Robison. “The response has been overwhelming. Our community is just as invested as the event managers in making this a magical event for the Kodiak student body.” More about the community’s response can be found in The Leavenworth Echo article. 

The purpose of Winter Wishes extends beyond gift-giving, emphasizing kindness and connection during the holiday season. “This is a huge celebration of the spirit of giving and an attempt to brighten up the day of the Kodiak community,” explained event managers Thayer Robison (11) and Micah Wilder (12). 

“It teaches people to not just wish for themselves, but for other people as well. It spreads kindness,” said Robison.

Winter Wishes also encourages students to think beyond themselves. “It teaches people to not just wish for themselves, but for other people as well. It spreads kindness,” said Robinson. 

This year’s event is being orchestrated by Robison and Wilder as part of their coursework in EWU Introduction to Event Planning and Management. As part of the class, the students were tasked with planning and executing this large-scale community event. They began by reviewing last year’s Winter Wishes and analyzing feedback from the 2024 iteration, identifying what to repeat, improve, and avoid in the upcoming assembly. 

Their first homework assignment for this event was to select and watch a movie to serve as the theme for the entire event. Robinson and Wilder watched the 2018 version of The Grinch multiple times to design the layout of the event, develop a skit that matched the theme, and determine how to integrate the various entertainment pieces throughout the assembly. From this preparation, they selected a unifying Grinch theme and took ownership of every stage of planning, including event promotion, gift collection, wrapping and organization, writing purchase orders to secure supplies, distributing gifts in the week leading up to the event, recreating the agenda to fit the Grinch theme, hiring employees [other leadership students] to work the event and running the three-hour event itself. 

In addition to logistical planning, Robison and Wilder coordinated with multiple CHS programs to transform Winter Wishes into a collaborative holiday celebration. Haberberger and the Culinary Arts program are preparing breakfast for approximately 300 students. The choir is scheduled to perform “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” along with additional holiday songs that directly support the event’s theme. The ASL program will sign “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” while the jazz band will perform holiday classics throughout the assembly. 

Behind the scenes, Leadership students, staff, and community members have all contributed to the event’s success. Community members assisted by purchasing gifts requested by students, while the front office staff collected, organized, and ensured donated items were delivered to the correct recipients. 

As Winter Wishes approaches, Robison and Wilder also helped orchestrate the festive atmosphere surrounding the event. Max Speigel (12) managed a Winter Spirit Week leading up to the assembly. Each day featured a unique theme, such as “Santa on Vacation,” and offered various activities for students to participate in. Highlighted events included holiday-themed Minute-to-Win-It games at lunch, Tea and Trivia in the library, a hot chocolate bar, and Sumo Soccer. These activities all contributed to building excitement and engagement for the Winter Wishes event. 

“We did a lot for this event. We helped Max Speigel (12) with the spirit weekdays, helped come up with an awesome game called Sumo soccer,” said Wilder. 

The unifying theme of Winter Wishes this year draws inspiration from the words of the Grinch at the end of the 2018 animated movie: “None of us are truly alone—we have each other, and the Leavenworth community, looking out for us. Remember, Kodiaks: it’s kindness and love that matter most this holiday season. As we leave today, please share the same kindness and love we’ve been shown, and the same kindness and love that warmed my Grinchy heart, with your community, your friends, family, and coworkers—beyond the walls of CHS. Have a wonderful Winter Break, Kodiaks.” This message reflects the heart of the Winter Wishes event, emphasizing generosity, community, and the lasting impact of kindness for students, families, and the greater Leavenworth community. 

The Winter Wishes assembly will take place on Friday, December 19, in the CHS cafeteria. As outlined in the agenda, “fun Christmas characters will be present putting on a fun act, such as the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, and Max.” During the assembly, students will receive their gifts and watch the wishes they granted for friends be presented. 

“I am incredibly proud of all the students involved in this event. Their commitment to making this happen demonstrates the spirit of the holidays: giving with a servant's heart,” said Robison. 

With strong student leadership, cross-program collaboration, and continued community support, CHS hopes to continue Winter Wishes as an annual tradition that spreads joy, generosity, and connection throughout Cascade High School and the greater Leavenworth community.