Pie in the Eye returns for 2025

by The Range staff

On September 25th Mountain Range High School is hosting the Make A Wish Foundation

during the Mustangs Homecoming Assembly in the Mountain Range Gymnasium to begin the

Pie in the Eye Fundraiser.

In the Pie In The Eye fundraiser, students challenge teachers and staff members to compete

against one another. The challenge is simple: whoever raises the most funds “wins” the

competition. The victory comes with a sweet reward: the winner gets to hit the loser with a pie. All funds collected during this event are donated directly to the Make-a-Wish

Foundation, helping grant wishes for children facing critical illnesses.

The money raised for Make-A-Wish is targeted to one child chosen every year, this year

a little girl named Aria. 3 year old Aria suffers from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of bone marrow and blood cancer, and is expected to have two to three years of treatment ahead of her. She is a fighter who likes the color pink, M&Ms, hot Cheetos, the Frozen franchise, bubbles, and dolls. Her wish is to go to the Walt Disney World resort, and if Mountain Range is successful in the fundraising goals, her wish will be fulfilled.

MRHS DECA sponsor Hilary Wimmer explains how the Pie-in-the-Eye fundraiser came to be in

2006 when the school first opened: “It was accidental, we only had sophomores and freshman so, we had a student come from Legacy and we said we wanted to do a fundraiser. At the time it was called ‘Quarters for Kids.’” She continued saying that the founder of “Quarters for Kids” had passed away and they no longer had a charity they could raise money for. They finally partnered with Make-a-Wish and have sponsored several kids since then.

Sophomore Archer M provided his insight about competing in Pie in the Eye against

Coach Riccio. Archer explains, “ I go around selling baked goods in the school and reaching out to local businesses.” Senior Jade D. shared, “I love seeing people get pied. It’s silly and fun!” She emphasized how the event brings everyone together in a spirit of laughter and community. Meanwhile, DECA vice president Venus T. expressed her enthusiasm for the atmosphere of the fundraiser, saying, “My favorite part is being back on the floor of the assembly and soaking in all the energy and excitement of the event.”

Not only do students get to participate in this fundraiser, but teachers as well. Mr. Leeper, a

Biology teacher at Mountain Range explains his reasoning for participating: “It’s fun and a good experience.” He continues. “When do you get the chance to pie students in the face?”. Mr. Leeper is selling ice cream and Dr. Pepper to raise donations, working hard against 5 other students.

One staff member at MRHS took a different approach to getting donations. Counseling Clerk

Regina Sheridan has been telling students she will dress up as the Lorax from Dr Seuss's book and movie if she wins: “Part of me wants to win and part of me doesn't,” Sheridan

said. “But at least the money is going towards something good” She has also done Pie in the

Eye since it started and claims it's the most fun she's had for a fundraiser.

Pie in the Eye is a tradition that doesn't seem to be going away from the Mountain Range and

for good reason: it has become a staple of the lead up to Homecoming that is unequivocally for a good cause.