Students and staff from Victor J. Andrew High School braved the cold weather Thursday to dive into cold water after having raised $22,000 for Special Olympics Illinois as part of its Thunder Plunge.
The Thunder Plunge, so named because of the school’s mascot is Thunderbolt, was a polar plunge with 80 students and staff jumping into an 8-by-8 foot tub in quick succession, then running into the school to get warm.
Jeanann Paczesny, a special-education teacher and Special Olympics coach, participated and was surprised by the water temperature.
“It’s freezing, but it actually wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be,” Paczesny said. “It was good to see the kids coming together and having a blast.”
The polar plunge has grown in recent years, Paczesny said, from eight students participating and raising $1,000 to its current size.
This year, different school groups and organizations established teams representing the school community: student council, physical education classes, foreign language teachers, social studies teachers and Fandoms, a cosplay club, Paczesny said.
“We have a whole variety of students and staff from literally all parts of the building that are going to take part in this,” Paczesny said. “We’re pretty excited to see these numbers.”
The purpose, Paczesny said, is to bring the school community together.
“It’s finding another way connect and celebrate our students and staff and everybody involved,” Paczeny said. “It’s another way to built connections and celebrate our differences and what brings us together.”
Tinley Park police Sgt. Bill Devine, whose son is a Special Olympics athlete and Andrew student, thanked the students and staff for participating, because the funds allow the Special Olympics athletes to compete without worrying about costs.
“Your athletes here are the ones you’re supporting,” Devine said. “They don’t pay to compete all year.”
River Parke, a junior, who plunged wearing a onesie from the “Lilo and Stitch” movie, said it was “awesome” and that only her feet were cold.
Assistant Principal Timothy Dalton said he was inspired after seeing students do it.
“It was amazing, just so much fun,” Dalton said. “The kids in front of me inspired me. If they can do it, I had to be able to do it too.”
More Top Picks Fall Prevention Exercises For Seniors
Even with the water being “really, really cold,” Dalton said the event was a success.
“It was a huge chance for our community to come together to support Special Olympics and they did a really good job at that,” Dalton said.