In the middle of February most students dream of crawling under a blanket, sipping hot chocolate and trying to stay warm; however, a group of students and plungers across the state have something else in mind!

Freshman Dominic Barbagallo, Anne Cameron, Courtney Larrick and Caitlin Peigh, sophomores Andrew Nash and Josh Watson, juniors Emily Barbagallo and Naomi Conaway, and seniors Carter Schmidy, Brianna Scott, Matt Watson, Cassie Wheeles, Madeline Wodaski, and Zack Yurich plunged on Friday, February 5th.

The Polar Bear Plunge is an event that raises money for the Special Olympics of Maryland.  People of all ages donate a minimum of $50 in pledges and in return they join hundreds of plungers in a quick dip into the chilly Chesapeake Bay water.  Today’s weather was clear and cold, with the water temperature around 40 degrees.

The Polar Bear Plunge is the largest year-round organization in the state of Maryland to benefit sports training and competitions for people with intellectual disabilities.  Their goal for the 2016 Plunge is $2 million, and they currently are just under their goal with a total donation value of  $1,860,000.

“I thought it would be a really fun experience, especially for senior year,” says plunger senior Brianna Scott.

Some students had more personal motivation for participating. Team leader Matt Watson said, “My cousin had Down Syndrome. He passed away several years ago, but Special Olympics is still important to me.”

No matter their reasons, all students are supportive of the Polar Plunge and its cause. “It’s a good, fun way to benefit Special Olympics. I think it’s great that they made a separate event for school kids for the community,” said team adviser, Mr. James Brown. 

All plungers received a complimentary sweatshirt or t-shirt.