Members of the unified bocce team and Best Buddies Club, including Mr. Villani and Mrs. Hernandez, will be participating in a Polar Plunge fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 24 at Acrisure Stadium.

This fundraiser will raise money for over 13,00 student-athletes. Special Olympics of Pennsylvania (SOPA) holds over 250 training events per year, the Polar Plunge will help support all of them. Their goal is $2,500.

The bocce team is selling bocce long-sleeve shirts in support of the Polar Plunge fundraiser. They sell for $10. See Mrs. Hernandez to purchase one.

The following students are signed up and collecting donations: Alyssa Headley, Meghan Tischler, Alexandra Tekulve, Luke Henderson, Artemis Conaboy, Anna Minick, Lauren Heh, Julia Miler, Carley Omara, Olivia Kitchen, Nicholas Calano, Eva Blatz, Kristen Horgan, Logan Burke, Hannah Molli, Ella Milliken, Ella Sabatos, and Megan Miehl.

The theme for the Plunge is Pac-Man, so students participating have created their own Pac-Man shirts and will be wearing them at the event.

The Unified Champion Schools, part of SOPA, is overseeing the Plunge, and they help different teams pay for equipment, coach training, as well as uniforms.

Logan Burke, a junior at BPHS and bocce member, is beyond excited about the event.

“It’s so exciting that our school is now heavily involved with Special Olympics! Participating in the Polar Plunge is going to be a very rewarding experience for everyone involved,” Burke said.

Current junior, Artemis Conaboy said: I’m extremely excited because the Special Olympics organization is hosting the event and they do such amazing work. The Polar Plunge is for a great cause and I’m excited and ready to benefit them and their goals in any way I can. when asked about the Polar Plunge.

The Special Olympics is dedicated to supporting and promoting social inclusion with sports. The different teams help bring together everyone. It’s an amazing way to make friends, and have fun all while working hard.

These teams are being created all over the United States. The Special Olympics’ goal is to have 10,000 schools participating by 2024. Right now, they have about 8,300 schools involved.

Bethel Park has its very own Special Olympics team, unified indoor bocce. The members of the team have been working and practicing very hard. Their hard work has paid off!

This distinguished team just won their division and has moved on to regionals. They defeated Upper St. Clair, 6-2. After, they won 7-6 against South Park. 

Regionals will take place on March 9 at Geneva College.