Adopt a Mount Si High School Senior!

Amy Bergman Hunter raised three daughters, now 22, 20 and almost 18, in her 16 years in the Valley. Her youngest watched her sisters experience their senior years at Mount Si High with all the monumental events that happen in that precious last year. Kylie, a Camereta choir student and Varsity goalkeeper, waited years for her senior year only to be robbed of the experience by the pandemic.

While Kylie knows that she is not alone in losing her traditional senior year, her mom needed to do something to let all of the senior kids see this year is still important and they are also important. She quickly enlisted more parents of seniors, and created a Facebook group to start brainstorming.

The group came up with several ideas, one being to match each senior with someone who would like to sponsor them for the school year. The goal is to bring a smile to their faces and make the year feel unique. Participants will be matched with a student, the organizers will then share helpful information, like hobbies, goals and favorite things. Hopefully, the occasional care package and other acts of kindness will lift their spirits and create some exceptional memories.

Their first challenge is locating each senior’s family to make sure they have the opportunity to participate. They want to be sure no one is left out. After the organizers identify all the participating seniors, they then need to ensure they have enough families to “adopt” them.

What exactly does that mean? 

It means a person, other than family, will commit to being the student’s creative cheering squad for the year. This could mean handwritten cards, sweet treats, balloons, flowers, coffee cards, or small care packs. Hopefully, each student will have a unique, creative experience.  There will be a master list of ideas accessible to all, including any discounted items that valley merchants provide for the endeavor.

So what can we all do to help?

First, they hope EVERY senior parent or guardian will join their Facebook group or drop a note to mshs2021parents@gmail.com for email updates. Secondly, if interested in sponsoring a senior use this link to adopt. The group would also welcome any businesses who would like to sponsor an event or offer a discount to the adopt a senior program. For instance, Sweet Treats Cookie Dough has offered a discount to any family sending a treat to their sponsored senior.

If life is too busy to be a sponsor, you can also support their cause via Go Fund Me Page to help bear the weight of pulling the kids through this year and reminding them that they are seen and will be cheered on all year! Amy says her new motto is, for some, it takes a village, but for us, it takes a valley!