Campbell High takes the plunge for Special Olympics

Campbell High School participated in the fourth annual Penguin Plunge, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics of New Hampshire, on Feb. 4 at Hampton Beach. Students who participated were senior John Cialek and juniors Tyler Guarino and Jason Rodonis. Even CHS staff members joined the good cause, as paraprofessional Bobby Allan and librarian Andrea Ange volunteered. The Penguin Plunge raises money for the Special Olympics by getting people from high schools throughout the state to collect donations. Each member must raise at least $150. Ange went the whole distance this year by collecting a total of $480. Altogether, the high school portion of the event collected $179,688 for Special Olympics. But the question is: Why is the Penguin Plunge so successful? Well, simply because the participants don’t only have to raise money, they also have to jump into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. This year, the Plunge had 483 participants, and every single one of them jumped into the water. A video of all the participants taking the brave dive is available at www.sonh.org. Allan and Rodonis jumped into the water with nothing but tank tops and bathing suits, and also the thousands of goose bumps that shriveled their bodies. When I asked Rodonis if he could describe the temperature of the water for me, he simply said a word I can’t use in the newspaper. But after that, he said, “It was worth it, though, because it’s for a good cause and I don’t regret it at all.