Edwardsville students dump ice on teachers to raise money for Special Olympics

Apr. 17—EDWARDSVILLE — Who knew that dumping ice-cold buckets of water on teachers' heads could raise so much money?

It's nothing new in Edwardsville District 7.

Recently, Polar Plunges across the Edwardsville school district raised $21,715.65 for the District 7 Special Olympics. That's a sharp increase from previous totals. Just two years ago, the Polar Plunges raised about $9,000. Last year it was about $14,000.

"When I saw that number this year I was blown away by the community support and teacher support," said Kayla Magruder, the District 7 Special Olympics athletic director. "We had more students involved this year. It's just awesome to see everybody get out there. It's such a fun event. Seeing the pictures of kids dumping ice-cold water on teachers is so much fun."

Magruder, a special education teacher in District 7, added: "It's amazing. It's a ton of work for everybody in every school."

Magruder has been involved with the District 7 Special Olympics since she was a volunteer in college about 12 years ago. She's been the athletic director for four years now and oversees all events, teams and coaches within the Edwardsville school district.

The District 7 Special Olympics competes against other local schools. Most of the schools, like EHS, are Unified Champion schools, which consist of Unified teams with students who have intellectual disabilities. Across District 7, there are about 100 kids that participate in Unified sports, such as Esports, track and field, basketball, dance, and more.

"That's one of the huge benefits of the Unified is that it brings our whole community and school engagement together," Magruder said.

Money raised online through the Special Olympics platform goes to state funding, but District 7 can apply for outreach opportunities with the state. In the past, those opportunities have paid for equipment, travel costs and more.

Anything raised at the school level stays within that district and that Special Olympics program.

Those interested in volunteering or having a student within the district can reach out to Magruder via email kmagruder@ecusd7.org

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