Senate’s annual blockbuster event, Power Week, brought in $51,131 for the Bags of Fun charity. It didn’t break last year’s event, which raised $4,000 more, but it came in second all time in Creek’s history.

Bags of Fun uses its donations to create small gift packages for chronically ill children. One recipient, Creek graduate Garrett Rymer, spoke at the assembly about how his bag helped him through his battle with cancer and why the charity is so important.

The USJ followed events throughout the week, all of which aimed to generate school spirit, unity, and funds for the Power Week check.

TELETHON – Monday:

CCSN teachers David Knoeckel and Matt Weiss joined students outside the activities office to raise money during an eight hour telethon live stream on Monday. The show, a yearly tradition for the first day of Power Week, features guests and games.

“We’re getting exposure all day, tons of different guests,” senior Vice President Dex Rhody said. “It’s really about just creating exposure over a long period of time so we can get as many donations as possible.”

Rhody admired his teachers’ ability to keep the telethon running from start to finish.

“It’s just raw strength to be able to sit there, for Weiss and Knoeckel to knock it out for eight hours,” he said. “It shows some dedication. It shows some resilience. So I think it’s a great way to start [power week].”

BRAIN BOWL – Monday Night:

In a fast-paced lightning round-style game, students blitzed through a bracket in the Brain Bowl competition Monday night at the FA theater. Students had four minutes to answer more correctly than the opposition. Singh’s Disciples, a team made of juniors Dylan Pollak, Banks Billings, and Evan Miller, and freshman Case Billings, were victorious.

“I was very excited to play today,” Banks Billings said. “I had a lot of fun playing, and I feel like winning was just like, cherry on top.”

The squad named after social studies teacher Benwari Singh pulled out the victory in a high-tension final, winning the brain bowl trophy for the year, displayed in the MSRC.

“It was super stressful, and I could feel the tension between the teams,” Miller said. “But once we won, I knew from the moment that we got the last question, that we were the two true brain Bowl champions.”

3v3 BASKETBALL – Monday Night:

Students had just minutes to dunk, layup, and jump shot their way over rivals in Monday night’s Three vs. Three basketball competition. Juniors Luke Zurcher, Jack Dempsey, and Connor Wherman came out on top.

Zurcher went on a scoring streak, landing numerous three-pointers in the semifinals and finals, sealing their victory.

“We just gathered a great group of guys, they can do everything out there, and we won it,” Zurcher said. “It feels great. We’re champions.”

Activities Director and Senate Advisor Kelly Devitt-Prevost was surprised by the number of attendees and the loud atmosphere.

“This event is so much fun,” she said. “We’re always really surprised by how many people want to participate, and how nice these guys are to each other, and gals that play, and everybody that wants to play.”

She hopes that next year, herself and other staff members can participate as well.

“I would love to play next year,” Devitt-Prevost said. “We love the camaraderie. It’s a great way for people to get active and enjoy it. I think we all love watching these events and are like, ‘we could jump in there,’ and I think it’s I think it gets the kids fired up to play against teachers.”

TALENT SHOW – Tuesday Night:

On Tuesday, Creek hosted its annual talent show to raise money for Bags of Fun through ticket sales. The show had 14 acts, including singing, skits, and a teacher band that took home the gold. Participants found the show rewarding, and many decided to participate because of Creek’s community.

“I know it’s such a loving community here at Creek, so I figured it would be such a fun show to play,” sophomore Elliott Szczytowski, who played drums for a cover of “Valerie”, said.

Others have used the talent show to inspire their performances outside of school, such as open mics and bar gigs. Senior Rose Wilscam, who sang and performed a skit, has performed for the last three years and has used the show to grow her confidence as a performer.

“I think the first time was definitely the scariest, but the more you go up, the more you do it, it’s a lot more fun,” Wilscam said.

SHAZAM -Wednesday Night:

Students rushed to their buzzers Wednesday night at the FA Theater to identify oldies, rap hits, pop stars, and more, in the Shazam competition. Named after a music identification app, the championship bracket led senior Charlie Stern to a second straight victory at the event, with his team of seniors Dex Rhody, Grier Laughlin, Kate Ley, and Zoey Hao, the “Playboy Smarties.”

“It’s nice to show our variety of music that we have, our tastes are all very different,” Stern said. “I was playing with seniors last year, but I love each team just as much. So it’s fun to just play with my friends.”

The game was dominated by senate competitors. Junior class president Kelsey Ayer fell short of victory, but still had a good time with her friends.

“We did our best. We could have won,” Ayer said. “We practiced a lot, gave it our all, that’s all that matters.”

MR. CREEK – Thursday Night:

On Thursday night, hundreds of Creek students gathered in the Fine Arts theater to watch the school’s annual Power Week tradition: Mr. Creek. The show, which is a mix between a talent show, lip sync battle, and interview, pitted nine students against each other before naming senior Connor Kelly as Mr. Creek, with senior Charlie Stern as the runner-up.

Organizers, alongside senior emcees Agnes Holena and Kate Ley, shared their excitement for the tradition, expressing how much of an impact events like Mr. Creek have. “This Creek community starts on Monday with $0 in the bank, not one single dollar in the bank,” Bags of Fun Colorado director Dananne Solomon said.

The event, which helps raise funds for Bags of Fun through ticket purchases and a ‘Dash for Cash,’ featured a rendition of Rihanna’s 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show, a Creek-themed version of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” dancing minions, a series of jokes about Moo Deng, an internet famous hippo, and more. After seeing everyone’s performances, Kelly, like many other students, agreed that the night was incredibly fun.

“This is the most amazing group of people out here, everyone behind the stage, everyone that has made this week happen,” Solomon said. “I cannot thank you enough. I cannot tell you what this means to us, and we are so thrilled.”

PEP ASSEMBLY – Friday Morning:

For the final event of Power Week, students in the West gym were met with the closing assembly, which featured speeches from Bags of Fun organizers, chants from the senior class, a mattress sliding competition, and a backpack-filling activity. Student Senate, alongside Principal Ryan Silva and Bags of Fun Colorado director, Dananne Solomon, praised the school’s contributions to Bags of Fun, and announced that Creek had raised $51,131 for the charity.

“You guys have impacted 1,100 families in the 10 years that we’ve been doing this,” Solomon said. “Those kids can’t get out of their hospital beds. They can’t leave their hospital rooms. They might be in and out of the clinic.”

Between skateboarding introductions by seniors Giselle Yokomichi and Dex Rhody, mattress races between the teachers and students to reach Silva, and a band performance, Senate members held one final “Dash for Cash” in order to wrap up the week’s fundraising events. In the end, the school raised over $1,000 more than its goal of $50,000 for Bags of Fun.

Solomon also highlighted how Creek had done its fundraising, through events like Mr. Creek, Shazam, the Talent Show, and more. “I want you guys to think about the impact that you are giving them every day during Power Week,” Solomon said. “You raise funds through all sorts of different lines.”

See more moments from Power Week below.