Crafting a Better Future

Senior Studies creates a drive to help teens not just survive, but thrive.

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media by Eila Liu

Reagan Synk ’23 places a box for the Creativity Drive outside of room 4113 Nov. 18. Synk worked with Morgan Tempel ’23, Zella Schnitzspahn ‘23 and Trey Spuhler ‘23 to collaborate with Urban Peak to give to the homeless. “So many people donate the needs, but nobody thinks about the wants. A lot of these kids are just trying to survive and we want to make them feel like they’re more than just surviving, that they can enjoy life,” Synk said.

by River Brown and Eila Liu

For the next few weeks, Senior Studies students have been given a challenge: to create a drive to collect resources for those in need. While others thought about collecting food or clothing, Raegan Synk ‘23, Zella Schnitzspahn ‘23, Trey Spuhler ‘23 and Morgan Tempel ‘23 went about it in a different way.

Synk, Schnitzspahn, Spuhler, and Tempel hoped to collect supplies to allow for creativity.

The idea of a Creativity Drive was constructed using boxes as a medium for donations. In collaboration with Urban Peak, an organization dedicated to aiding homeless youths, this Senior Studies group will collect art products to bring happiness to homeless teenagers’ lives.

Their donation collection boxes, decorated in bright hues, streaks of colors and ideas for donations, are open for contributions from Nov. 18 to Dec. 9. They’re located near the front office, library, art rooms, gym and room 4113.

“So many people donate the needs, but nobody thinks about the wants. A lot of these kids are just trying to survive but we want to make them feel like they’re more than just surviving, and that they can enjoy life,” Synk said.

The group will be accepting donations of journals, notebooks, yarn, paint, colored pencils and any other creative medium.

“I know people at Rock Canyon don’t really think about it, but there are people in our school who are suffering from homelessness. I think it’s good for people within our community to reach out to people in need,” Tempel said.

We want to make them feel like they’re more than just surviving, and that they can enjoy life,

— Synk said.

But, due to the already large supply of markers, Synk advised against donating those.

“We were on a Zoom call with an Urban Peak coordinator,” Synk said. “And she said, ‘One thing that we’ve learned is [the teenagers] love to journal. It’s something that helps them calm down and enjoy their life a little bit more.”

Urban Peak works with youth experiencing homelessness in Denver, Colorado and provides support programs.