'HPHS in ParadICE' to Take Plunge; Benefit Special Olympics

Photos from last year’s plunge - held in the parking lot of Highland Park High School, since it was too cold for others to jump into the waters of Lake Bluff.

The Highland Park/Highwood Rotary Club is once again sponsoring a team to take part in the annual Special Olympics Polar Plunge fundraiser in Lake Bluff.

More than 50 plungers, mostly members of the Rotary Interact club at Highland Park High School, will be part of the team HPHS in ParadICE and get just a bit cold this Saturday as they jump into the water to benefit the Special Olympics.

“We decided to do the Polar Plunge again because we volunteer with Special Olympics at least 2-3 times per year and love raising money for their organization,” said Melissa Zientara, co-sponsor of the school’s Rotary Interact Club with Deb Wilson and teacher of the Peer Mentoring class at HPHS, which teaches students about “the world of disabilities and prepares them to be peer mentors for our students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities.”

So far, 65 participants have supported HPHS in ParadICE, totaling a substantial $6,217.30 in donations for the Special Olympics.

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