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Sugar House Princess Gets Her Wish

Apr 08, 2016 10:00AM ● By Natalie Mollinet

By Natalie Mollinet | [email protected]

Sugar House - Highland High School students may have been decked out in their class colors — green, blue, yellow and black — with contests going on from tug-a-war to dance contests, but everyone knew why they were there: to let Sam know that she was going to Disney World to meet the princesses, including her favorite, Princess Aurora. 

The Sugar House Journal introduced  Highland’s charity drive last month for Utah’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Highland High School was able to raise $10,940. This money came not only from the students at Highland, but also the Sugar House community. 

“Spirit week is really about Highland family and we have this common goal to get Sammy and her family to Orlando, Florida, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Principal Chris Jenson said. 

Sam sat on her throne wearing yellow Mickey Mouse ears and a blue Cinderella dress surrounded by students and family. Sam was on top of the world watching her new friends compete, and she even got up and danced at times and spun around to watch her dress flow. 

“I am so proud I can’t even tell ya. I’m proud of this school for a lot of reasons. We’re making academic progress, we’re making progress in terms with cohesion with the student body and the family aspect and our athletics are just off the charts this year. It’s like the whole school has a great vibe,” Jenson said. 

All the teachers and faculty wore purple shirts that read “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” and Mickey Mouse ears in full support of Sam and her dream to go to Disney World. 

“It’s been awesome,” Sam said. “I’m feeling really happy!” 

After the teachers lip-synced to different popular Disney songs, including songs from “Pinocchio” and “The Lion King,” Jenson, who was dressed as a prince, danced on the court with Sam to “Once Upon a Dream” from Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty.” All the students were cheering, some in tears, for how happy they were to see Sam being a princess. The dance was concluded with big confetti guns, and as the confetti fell to the floor, Sam spun around in her princess dress. 

Sam sat back on her throne and the wish wizard, played by a favorite faculty member Dean Collette, came to her and proclaimed that Sam was going to Disney World. Many, including media, teared up seeing how excited Sam and her family was to see her wish come true. 

“It’s been awesome, it’s just, there’s not a lot of words to describe everything that we’ve gone through, not just with Highland but with her treatment. It’s a lot of emotions,” Sam’s mother said.

“This is better than a Disney movie,” Dan Dudley, a member of Utah’s Make-A-Wish Foundation said. “Sam makes me want to be a better person with her love of life and people.” 

Sam was elated after getting the news, but she also loves the students at Highland, who she now considers her friends. 

“I really like all of the new friends I’m making and everything, I love it! I’m feeling happy inside, I never went to Disneyland and so now I get to,” she said. “I really, really want to say thanks for everything.”