The I Wish campaign, on bulletin boards near the main office and outside the school store, was created by members of Challenge Success so that students and teachers can understand what each other has to deal with in their lives.

WA Guidance counselor Wendy Pechacek is the advisor for this project, and she feels that the project is useful and helpful for both the teachers and students in the school. 

“It is a way to help each side understand more about some of the perspectives that the other has about all the demands everyone has on their lives and how hard it can be to balance those things sometimes,” Pechacek said.

Many of the students were concerned about their friends, deadlines, stress level, and their community.

“That I want to spend time with my family but I have too much work to do most days,” a student shared.

“The competition we place on ourselves,” another student wrote.

Several teachers shared how they have other responsibilities outside of school, how it takes a while to grade papers, and how they do care about their students.

“That I spend every night, weekend, and vacation preparing and grading,” one of the teachers said.

“That I am a mother and wife, as well as a teacher. I do not have all afternoon to check emails, grade essays, etc.,” a teacher said.

“It’s been a good way to help both the teachers and students to understand each other perspectives on things,” Pechacek said.

Ariella Fleischer, a senior, has been a Challenge Success member for three years and participated in the I Wish campaign. The idea was brought up last year but this year they thought it was a good year to start it. Her main goal for this board was to open up conversations with each other and talk about their stress and emotions. She explained how keeping emotions to themselves is not helpful. She believes without talking about their stress and being honest with each other, it would just cause more problems and a bigger gap of communication.

“…there are high expectations which leads to high performance, but I think everyone gets stressed out and thinks they are the only ones feeling that way because it is hard, in today’s day and age, to talk about your feelings, as silly as it sounds,” Fleischer said. 

She hoped that people would be honest and truthful when writing a note. She expected a small number of people to respond but when she looked at the boards she noticed many notes which had honest truths. She was very happy and proud of those who participated and who wrote something honest.

“I was really hoping that people would be honest and luckily they were. I know it can be scary for both sides to share those personal things but I am really proud of everyone that did participate because it is stuff that is really going to help make change,” Fleischer said.