By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Students and staff in the Geneseo School District are preparing for various versions of a “Polar Plunge,” in an effort to raise funds for Special Olympics.

Megan VerStraete, a Life Skills teacher and Special Olympics coach at GHS, explained that Special Olympics offers 30-plus Olympic-style individual and team sports that provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities. Money raised through donations allows athletes to participate in events free of charge.

Geneseo High School, in addition to Southwest, Millikin and Northside grade schools will all be doing an Alternate Polar Plunge” in an effort to reach their fundraising goals.

VerStraete said 11 GHS staff members have volunteered to participate in the “Alternate Polar Plunge.”…During lunch periods from Monday, Feb. 27, through Wednesday, March 8, buckets will be placed in the school cafeterias with photographs of each staff member.

Students will be able to vote, by donating money into a bucket, for which staff member/administrator they wish to see have a bucket of ice water poured over his or her head. The staff member or administrator with the most money donated for them will receive the “icing.” Staff members/administrators will not know who the winner is until the water is poured.

The “Alternate Polar Plunge” will take place between 10:38 – 11:02 a.m. on Thursday, March 9, on the high school track.

Members of the community can donate to the event at this link:

https://soill.donordrive.com/team/13976.

In addition to VerStraete, Sheila Puls and Scott Hardison are also Special Olympic coaches at GHS.

The three Geneseo elementary schools also are planning versions of “Polar Plunges:”

-Millikin School is hosting a fundraiser that involves staff members who have volunteered. The staff member with the most donations will be the person to get doused. During the week of Feb. 27 through March 3, the staff members who volunteered for the “Polar Plunge” will have their photograph in the courtyard with a bucket for donations. Students can vote for a teacher (or two) who they would like to see get soaked. Whichever three teachers receive the most monetary donations will take the plunge in front of the whole school on March 9. All money raised will benefit Special Olympics.

-Northside School will hold a “Polar Plunge” on Fine Arts Day, March 17. Their principal has volunteered to have the water dumped on him. Each class also will have a bucket for donations and the class collecting the most donations will be able to dump water on their principal’s head.

-Southwest School will collect monetary donations to benefit Special Olympics. Students will begin colleting Feb. 27 with donations due by March 8. The top fundraiser from each grade will have a special lunch provided them by the school PTA. There also will be an assembly to celebrate the effort made by the students, and during the assembly an explanation will be given as to how the students’ contributions help Special Olympics, in addition to announcing the grand total of money raised and recognition of top fundraisers from each grade, after which buckets of cold water will be dumped on the staff members who volunteered.