By: Laura Segura
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On March 13, 2025, Pueblo County High School DECA hosted a successful silent auction in front of the main office from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. DECA teacher Ms. Sandusky, sponsored the event, which raised a total of $1,097 for 14-year-old Jesùs to help grant his wish to meet his favorite wrestler. The auction featured an impressive selection of items, including gift baskets, jewelry, cookies, Stanley cups, PCHS hats and sweatshirts, ground beef in coolers, and many other exciting items. 
Senior Andre Murrah said, “ The silent auction had a lot to offer, and this limited edition green Stanley Cup piqued my interest. Overall, I enjoyed browsing and placing bids to see if I won anything.” 
The silent auction allowed students, faculty, and community members to bid on various goods, with all proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish. Sandusky worked hard to ensure everything ran smoothly, with the auction offering an opportunity for the school community to come together for a fun and rewarding experience.
Online donations to Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made at wish.org/colorado. 

By: Addison Scott
On March 19, 2025, Pueblo County High School will hold a Make-A-Wish assembly, a fundraiser for the non-profit organization. The foundation raises money and promotes awareness for those who face terminal and life-devastating health and physical challenges. The message is that a simple donation can save someone’s life. 
This Make-A-Wish Week, in particular, is collecting cereal boxes. DECA and the Student Council classes have already contributed by bringing as many boxes as possible. However, students all through the school are welcome to chip in because, in the end, anything helps!
 The significance behind cereal is that Jesu͑s, the Make-A-Wish kid for County High, suffers from a nervous system disorder and this is one of the few snacks he can enjoy. 
DECA teacher, Ms.Sandusky states, “Jesu͑s loves cereal and we are always able to do games, so we thought we would do something fun for him, and is a great way to give back for what Jesu͑s has gone through. We will continue decorating and following the themes he likes.” 
The cereal boxes correspond with a race to see which contestant can successfully knock down all their boxes in just one take. Sandusky also says, “The winners of the cereal box race will be rewarded with a cereal breakfast and it is hope we can get so much cereal to the point we can give back to Jesu͑s and even donate to local food banks.” 
Tickets will be given out throughout the week for students to write their names on and be drawn from a raffle. It is great for the students to get involved with school activities and socialization, but it will undoubtedly serve the happiness of 14-year-old Jesu͑s.”
Amazingly, Pueblo County High School has the power to come together for a common cause every year. They have been able to engage in events like food trucks and attend restaurants, auctions, assemblies, and simple school activities specified for each day of the week. 
The school community will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that even those who don’t have the same opportunities can live their life to the fullest. In this case, while Jesu͑s has already met his idol, John Cena, this counts as a “Reverse Wish Week” to help fund him for his necessities and health. It can be an emotional moment, and it is your turn to change Jesu͑s’s life by giving anything you have, whether small or big, to provide hope and inspire others to do the same. 
Any online donations you want to make toward Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made at wish.org/colorado. 

By Brynnley Prijatel 

A different activity occurs during Make-A-Wish week at Pueblo County High School during all three lunch periods. 
The Cheeto Beard will be an activity at lunch, to encourage the students to donate to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. They sold Cheetos to throw at the teachers' faces covered with shaving foam. Mr. Grossen, Mr, Colletti, Mrs. Ruiz, Mr. Koshak, Ms. Bailey, Ms. Sciacca and Mr.Mead all took part during their lunchtime for a great cause.

Followed by the Cheeto Beard, you also got the chance to guess the amount of candy in the jar, the winner of which will be announced on Wednesday, March 19. Another lunchtime activity is playing loud, annoying music to encourage donations. Teachers also sang karaoke during lunch, helping raise money for Wish Week. Ms. Fodor, Ms. Lay, Ms. Morgan, Ms. Thomas, Ms. Gribble, and Mr. Arguello all participated.

The last lunch activity will be a pie in the face to teachers. Students will pay money to throw a pie at select teachers. 

These activities are a fundraiser for the Wish Week. These activities get students excited for the fun activities ahead and encourage all students to donate. 

Freshman, Ben Hildebrand explains “The lunchtime activities motivate me and friends to donate due to the annoying sounds that disrupt my peace.”


Online donations to Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made at wish.org/colorado 

By: Jaylee Holland

PCHS DECA planned a week and a half of fundraising. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants life-changing wishes to children facing critical illnesses. Founded in 1980, the organization has granted millions of wishes worldwide, each unique and personalized to the child’s dreams and desires.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2025, the Make-A-Wish spirit week began during the Make-A-Wish Kick-Off assembly at Pueblo County High School. This spirit week will include: superhero day, NFL Day, Lucky Green Day, Y2K Day, and Make-A-Wish Shirt Day. 
During this week, other activities and fundraising take place. Friday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday restaurants will donate some of their profit to this year's Make-A-Wish Kid. Along with in-school activities to make the week more exciting!
Spirit weeks are a great way to create inclusivity and teamwork. It also encourages people to participate regardless of background or personality. Balancing fun and dressing for an overall valuable cause.


Online donations to Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made to wish.org/colorado. 

By Colt Antle

The Penny Stall is a popular and traditional money-maker for the Make A Wish week held at Pueblo County High School. Students can bring in pennies or buy rolls of pennies from DECA to give to their third hour teachers. 
The teachers then have to spend all their time counting all the pennies students have brought in, class cannot begin or continue until the teacher has finished counting all pennies. Some can take ten minutes while others can take up to two or three class periods. 
Junior, Regan Avila, “I am a part of DECA and really love helping the kids.” Avila went to her car and gathered all her change in order to contribute to a worthy cause. 
There are some teachers who don’t partake in the counting of pennies and just treat class as if it were a regular day. All that matters is that the money still goes to a worthy cause in the end.  



Online donations to Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made to wish.org/colorado. 

​By Isabella Martinez 

Make a Wish is a nonprofit organization that grants kids their wishes when they have critical illnesses. This organization, founded in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona, has now made its way across 50 countries. 

The wishes can be various things, such as meeting a celebrity or visiting their dream vacation. Regardless of the wish, it brightens the children’s lives. Make a Wish is built from donations and sponsors to help make these wishes come true. 

Varsity player Jaylee Holland, “My girls' soccer team is trying to go to Noodles tonight as a team after practice, I usually always get pad thai.” 

Wish Dish Night is when restaurants contribute a night for the “Make a Wish Program”. It is a fundraiser to raise money for the Wish Child. Pueblo County has been doing “Make a Wish” for years.  

The Wish Dish Nights consist of the following:
Wednesday, March, 12, Texas Roadhouse 5-8 p.m.
Thursday, March 13, Food Trucks, 4:30 - 8 p.m.
Friday, March 14, Buffalo Wild Wings 3-9 p.m.
Sunday,  March 16, Panda Express 5-9 p.m.
Monday, March 17, Noodles 4-8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 18, Culvers 5-9 p.m.

Online donations to Make-A-Wish Colorado can be made at wish.org/coloardo.

​By Colt Antle

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Pueblo County High School held its annual Make A Wish kick-off assembly to announce the start of Make A Wish week. 
DECA Sponsor Ms. Sandusky and DECA students are starting Make A Wish by informing and reminding everyone about why we participate in Make A Wish. 
This year, PCHS’ “Make A Wish Kid” is 14-year-old Jesus with a nervous system disorder. The school halls were decorated with Jesus’s favorite hobbies, cartoon characters, football team, and favorite wrestler. Jesus’ wish is to meet famous WWE wrestler John Cena. 

Also, two fathers, Karl Streyle and Carlin Pino, previous recipients of Make A Wish Kids grants, came up to speak to everyone about the power of a wish and how their kids’, Kinsley Streyle and Poppy Pino, wish being granted has impacted them. 

At the end of the assembly, all the events featured for the week were announced, with the DECA duck hunt, teacher Cheeto's Beard, guess the amount of candy in the jar, and the Texas Roadhouse event being the ones to start on Wednesday. 

For Jesus to get his wish granted, PCHS needs to raise $250,000. There are ways to donate online as well as in person. 

There are posters around the school with QR codes where people can donate and posters advertising all the fundraising events and opportunities on the horizon. Come on, Hornets, we can do this. As Mr. Dilka, the principal, stated, “Hornets grant wishes.”

By: Isabella Martinez and Jaylee Holland

“Pueblo County Dance Team!” 
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On January 29 through February 2, 2025, in Orlando, Florida the dance team from PCHS flew out to compete in the nationals competition. 
The team is entering into the competition in fourth place in their division, Intermediate Pom, and eleventh in the category Game Day. 
PCHS’s dance team has worked its way up the ranks from halftimes at football games to nationals in Florida. The dance team is separated into two categories, JV and Varsity. The season continues all year long with a two-month break. Tryouts are at the end of March, and the open gym starts in May. 
Once summer hits, there are practices every week preparing the team for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) camp, which usually takes place in June. In July the girls do choreo wire and learn the halftime routines as well as Pom and Game Day competition routines. From then on every month is working to prepare for competitions; it’s comp season. 

Senior Ava Tucci says, “The process of being at nationals is the absolute best. Normally, we get there if we are lucky enough to secure a spot on the Practice Marley at ESPN. (This is a specialized floor just for dancing).  We will go and practice our routines and spend a day at Disney. It kinda works out … the worse we do in comp, the more Disney time we get, and the better we do, the less time we get! For this year's nationals in particular we got less Disney time because we competed on every day we could compete!”

Once nationals happened they placed eleventh for game day which is huge since last year they didn’t place for that dance. In the Pom category, they placed fourth, six places higher than last year. PCHS’s dance team is fifth in the nation, they are truly making a name for themselves. 

Tucci explains, “If I’m being honest when we weren’t 8th, 7th 6th, or 5th I was absolutely freaking out. It was the most grateful and intense feeling I have ever felt knowing my team and I were 4th in the nation after already making 11th in a category we didn’t even place in last year! It was a filling only a dancer can describe.”

The varsity team is full of talent and drive, it is one of the hardest sports out there. The requirements for trying out are a mixture of turns and flexibility pieces. PCHS has only been to nationals twice for dance and they soaked up every second of it. Their coach, Ursaline Dech, truly pushes these girls to be at their best potential.

If you were thinking about trying out for this successful dance team Ava states, “I would say do it! I impulsively tried out my 8th grade year after never dancing and absolutely had to work harder for anything I have ever wanted but I would not trade or change a second of my time on this amazing team and I would do anything for one more season with my girls doing what we love so so much! So to anyone wanting to try out for this team, it will be one of the best decisions of your life! “

This team is more than just a group of girls, it’s a family. The dance team has truly built a strong bond with each other through the years. The connection will forever be remembered for these girls on and off stage.

By: Laura Segura 

The Pueblo County High School varsity cheerleading team has earned a spot at the prestigious national competition set to take place in Orlando, Florida, at the ESPN Complex. Here, they compete against the top cheer teams from all over the country. The hornets prepared to showcase their excellent skills and team spirit on February 9. 

This event marks many months of hard work and dedication as the Hornets bring their energy and excitement to a national stage. February 6, 2025, the sixteen-member cheer squad boarded a plane in Denver, Colorado, and headed to Florida. 

Erianna Arellano, junior, explains, "The hardest part of preparing for this competition is probably mentally and physically preparing yourself as well as teammates to work the hardest we ever have to achieve our goals and to put out an amazing performance.”
The Hornet’s journey to nationals demonstrates their commitment and passion for the sport. Throughout the year, the team has worked tirelessly to perfect their routines and show their spirit for the school. 
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Sophia Martinez, senior, said, "Through cheerleading, I have learned I am capable of being a role model and leader for my team." 
The Hornet's determination paid off as they placed fourteenth in the nation, an accomplishment for a team that has spent the past year working to perfect their performances and push their limits.