Nice work by students and staff at Urbana High, who on Friday hosted our region’s first Cool School Challenge to benefit Special Olympics Illinois.
Using a pool brought in by Edge-Scott Fire Protection District that was set up near the football field, Tigers of all ages enjoyed a high school version of the Polar Plunge — even if it wasn’t that cold. Organizer Melissa McMahon said there was less-than-serious talk of “pouring in some buckets of ice to give us the real ‘polar’ effect,” but windy conditions added “an extra chill. Considering it’s our inaugural year, I think any temp is perfect.”
Friday’s fun included 19 motivated students who helped raise close to $5,000 (the goal was $3,000). The top student fundraiser‘s reward: Getting to toss a pie in the face of Principal Jesse Guzman.
Urbana is one of 39 in the state to take part in the Cool School Challenge — enhancing an already impressive Polar Plunge reputation. The Arctic Tigers, a district-wide team of staff members, has for more than a decade delivered in a big way for Special Olympics. At last month’s plunge in Mahomet, the group raised $23,835.
“At Urbana, we recognize that if we want more students to participate, we need to bring the events to them. Many of our students don’t have easy transportation to Mahomet for the regional plunge,” said McMahon, a special education teacher at the high school.
Organizers on Friday said next year’s event will be bigger and better – and challenged Champaign high schools to follow suit.
“It shows the kids and staff at Urbana High School truly have the warm hearts to come together and help others, whether it’s freezing or not,” McMahon said. “Urbana has been incredibly welcoming since I joined the staff seven years ago, and this event just shows we’re on the road to even bigger events for inclusivity.”