New Rondout Valley Central School District Polar Plunge Open for Registrations

School leaders mobilize to bring new Hudson Valley polar plunge west of Hudson River in February

 

By Randy Robertson, Hudson Valley Regional Storyteller

Ulster County, N.Y. – The Ganders of Rondout Valley High School first sent a small group of students and teachers to participate in the Special Olympics New York Polar Plunge at Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill in 2024.

The lake water was so cold, organizers had to break up a portion of the ice to allow the plunge to proceed as planned. Did the cold water scare off any Ganders?

“When we were all done, I asked the students if anyone wanted to do it again next year,” Rondout teacher and coach Marianne Hawryluk recalled. “Every single one of them raised their arms in the air shouting ‘I do, I do’ and it was great to see that. They all had such a good time they wanted to do it again.”

A tradition was born, and Rondout sent progressively larger groups to the plunges the next two years. This year, 40 Ganders plunged in a mobile unit at Marist University in Poughkeepsie, which was easier to reach and logistically impressive.

“We did the mobile plunge at Marist and that got us thinking, I think we could do that here on the other side of the Hudson River,” said Kristine Jarvis, Rondout Valley High’s School-to-Career transition specialist. “We approached our Superintendent Dr. Paul Spadaro, and he was on board right away. Everyone is really looking forward to this year’s plunge.”

The first Rondout Valley Central School District polar plunge will take place on February 25, 2027, and registration at PolarPlungeNY.org/HudsonValley is now underway. The plunge will be held in the parking lot behind the gym. Hawryluk and Jarvis said the local fire department will fill the tank with cold water, and organizers are encouraging the department and local businesses to jump right into the fun.

“We have a great community of businesses that support the kids, they always do,” Jarvis noted. “We’re hoping they come out and get involved and make this event a big success.”

After raising a combined $20,000 for Special Olympics New York the past two years, Jarvis set a goal of reaching another $20,000 in February now that the plunge will take place right on campus. Participants must raise $125 each to jump.

Hawryluk coaches the school’s tennis team as well as the unified bowling and bocce squads and previously helped start the unified basketball program. She joyfully noted that she’s seen the unified programs grow and lead to increased inclusion and interactions among all of the students. Jarvis guides the National Honor Society students and they are always looking for opportunities to serve and support the community.

Hosting a plunge for Special Olympics New York on the high school campus, on the west side of the river, is another purposeful step forward for everyone involved, even if jumping into cold water in February takes a bit of extra courage and determination.

“The water in the tank is even colder than the lake water,” Hawryluk said grinning. “I did the mobile jump at Marist last year, and I said if the kids can do it I can do it. I grabbed someone’s hand and we jumped right in!”

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