On Friday, February 25, a team of volunteers from Shaler Area High School took turns leaping into a cold pool of water outside of Heinz Field as part of a fundraiser event, the annual “Cool Schools” Polar Plunge.

The Polar Plunge helps support almost 16,000 athletes in Pennsylvania, as proceeds go to the Special Olympics as well as several unified programs within the state, like Shaler’s Unified Bocce Team. While the primary goal of the event is to raise funds, it also provides a great way of raising awareness of Special Olympics altogether.

“School-wide awareness and communication regarding our Special Olympic athletes and the push for inclusion is important,” Shaler Area life skills teacher Mrs. Christin Pintar said.

Last year, Shaler hosted its own version of the Polar Plunge at Kiwanis Park in support of our school’s Backpack Initiative.

“We considered our first Polar Plunge to be successful,” Pintar said. “Dr. Aiken, Dr. O’Black, Officer Spiker, Officer Jackson, Mr. Rauscher, and various teachers also attended Shaler’s first Polar Plunge.”

Many participants enjoyed the event, as it proved itself to be a fun way for students, staff members, and community members alike to contribute to a cause that has great impact on many lives

“It was a neat experience,” senior Aidan Brophy said. “A lot of people were involved, both people jumping in and people making sure it was safe to jump. There were space heaters on the pool deck and hot drinks were included with admission, so there were a lot of ways to warm up after you took the plunge.”

With the success of last year’s makeshift event, the excitement for this year’s Polar Plunge at Heinz Field was palpable and the registration was widespread as students and staff waited to plunge once again to support such an important cause.

“It was so cold that when I jumped in it felt like I got the wind knocked out of me, but I’m happy I did it since it was for such a good cause and it was definitely an experience I’ll never forget,” senior Kiera Harger said.

Our team, the TITAN-ics, last had just over 30 students participating. This year, though, that number has almost tripled, making Shaler Area’s team the largest out of all the 128 schools that registered.

“This time, thanks in part to the amazing video created by former SATV students, we have over 80 students who will be “freezin’ for a reason”,” Pintar said. “Dr. Aiken, Dr. O’Black, and Mr. Rauscher continue to support this worthy cause for our school and will be plunging along with other teachers from the high school.”

This additional engagement in the event has also proved to be extremely beneficial for the causes that it was made to support, as this spike in participation has helped Shaler to go beyond its donation goal. Over $5000 has been raised, making this event a huge success, as the money will continue to benefit members within our own community and all over the state. Mrs. Pintar can’t thank the participants enough.

“This year, we surpassed our fundraising goal of $3000,” Pintar said. “We are grateful for the support of our administration, the students, and their families.”