The dreams of an 8-year-boy came true Friday following the "heroic" efforts of students at Arlington Community Schools.
John Paul Kelsch loves superheroes, and has been eager to visit Disneyland, where the Avengers Campus is located in Anaheim, California. John Paul has undergone treatments for brain cancer for the last 2⅟₂ years, and Make-A-Wish stepped in to help bring some joy into his life.
Under a pretense that he would be at Arlington High School to talk about Make-A-Wish, John Paul was instead met with a superhero-themed scavenger hunt across the school, organized by the student council. Answering a Marvel-related question like, "Black Panther greets the people of his country by crossing his arms and saying this phrase," granted him a key to a locked box with superhero attire inside. Before long, John Paul was decked out in a Captain America mask, cape and shield.
His final clue led him to the center of the school's gym, where hundreds of students waited to cheer him on. Solving the clue cued the high school band to play the Avengers theme, and his wish was revealed. Students and faculty alike clapped, cried and held signs with messages such as "Disney bound" and "Wish granted".
As John Paul struck a superhero pose and jumped up and down in pure excitement, a huge, joyous smile never left his face. His palpable and contagious enthusiasm is something his mom, Mary Kelsch, will never forget.
"It's just completely overwhelming, and it's the best feeling after 2⅟₂ years of being on this journey," she said. "I didn't want to have any expectations or anything, but it blew everything out of the water. Hearing the kids scream walking into the gymnasium was like... I mean I just burst into tears."
It was a similar experience for Michael Kelsch, John Paul's dad.
"It's humbling to see so many people who don't even know John Paul or my family doing such a selfless act," he said. "Seeing his reaction to it, being totally surprised by it... it's a lot to unpack. The clapping, the presence and cheers, such small actions by so many people created such a huge thing, and I think that's something I'll be reflecting on for years."
The effort to grant a wish began last spring, when two now graduated students proposed the idea, according to Sarah Kelley, Arlington High School's student council faculty advisor. Each of the four schools in the Arlington Community Schools District pledged $2,000 to the cause, with fundraising efforts ranging from selling paper Wish star cutouts to be displayed in hallways, and change wars, where classrooms brought in change and competed to see who could get the most money.
"The emotions today honestly, they make every night where I'm here till 5 or 6 o'clock... worth it," Kelley said. "It takes a village not just to raise a kid, but also to support them, so hitting this [fundraising goal] is awesome, but it also makes you ready to do it again because you see how much it means to this one kid."
High school junior and student council member Abigail Cronau helped organize the day's events for the past month, spending "countless hours" after school planning. She led John Paul around the school, helping him with hints and often running after him as he sprinted to his next clue.
"Leading up to it my heart started racing, I was getting so excited because I knew what that moment was building up towards," Cronau said. "I knew he would go ecstatic seeing everything we had planned in the gym, and it was so fun getting to match his energy with that... letting him lead and kind of vibe with him."
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Arlington High School's student council plans to grant another wish next year, with fundraising beginning soon.
Make-A-Wish Mid-South is a Memphis based organization affiliated with the greater Make-A-Wish America brand, but operating independently. The organization takes referrals from multiple children's hospitals, not just St. Jude, and the only requirement is the patient having a critical illness. Visit the Make-A-Wish Mid-South website to learn more about getting involved through volunteering or donation.
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him atjacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.
