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Lake Shore Central School District

Home of the Eagles

Polar Plunge

 

Lake Shore Unified Sports

Polar Plunge 2026

Our students and staff are running into Lake Erie for Special Olympics New York. Come with us, cheer us on or give.

Fri, Dec 4 Noon Woodlawn Beach
Join or give to the team →
Polar Plunge, Special Olympics New York logo

Mark your calendar

The road to Woodlawn Beach

Thursday

Oct 22

Red Robin night, Orchard Park, all day

Saturday

Nov 7

Chipotle night, Hamburg, 4:00 to 8:00 PM

Friday

Dec 4

The plunge, Woodlawn Beach, noon

Three ways to join

Pick your splash level

You don't have to go in the water to be on the team. Every role helps.

Dry land

Give and share

Give on the team page, from anywhere. Then send the link to family and friends.

Open the team flyer to share

On the beach

Fundraise and cheer

Join the team, raise money with your classmates, then cheer the plungers on from the sand.

All the way in

Take the plunge

Sign up on the team page and run into Lake Erie with your classmates and teachers.

For student plungers

$125

Raise it, and you're covered.

What $125 covers
1The trip
2The bus from school
3A Polar Plunge sweatshirt

Every dollar goes to Special Olympics New York. Ask family, neighbors and friends to give on your page.

The Middle School dare

$10,000

If W.G. Houston reaches $10,000, Principal Stacy Sansone takes the plunge.

That's the Middle School benchmark. Every gift on the team page counts toward it.

Dinner counts too

Eat out for the team

Two restaurant nights send a share of every meal to Lake Shore Unified Sports. Show the flyer on your phone or tell the staff you're there for Lake Shore.

Red Robin

Thu, Oct 22 · All day

20% of food sales

3460 Amelia Dr, Orchard Park, NY 14127
Get directions to Red Robin

Show the flyer or tell your server.

Ordering online? Start at Red Robin online ordering, pick Orchard Park, and add the "Fundraisers (To-Go Only)" item first.

Show this at the counter

Red Robin fundraiser flyer for Lake Shore Unified Sports, October 22, 20 percent of food sales

Open the Red Robin flyer full size

Chipotle

Sat, Nov 7 · 4 to 8 PM

25% of eligible sales

5340 Southwestern Blvd, Suite 100, Hamburg, NY 14075
Get directions to Chipotle

Show the flyer or tell the cashier. Bring friends: the team needs $150 in total sales.

Ordering online?

Use code VP49DE7 for pickup in Hamburg, 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Delivery doesn't count.

Show this at the counter

Chipotle fundraiser flyer for Lake Shore, November 7, 4 to 8 PM, code VP49DE7

Open the Chipotle flyer full size

A first for Lake Shore

Two schools, one team

This year, Lake Shore High School and W.G. Houston Middle School are plunging together. It's the first time they have joined as one district team.

Students wrapped in towels and blankets smile with an adult in a Bills sweater after the plunge
5thstraight year for
Lake Shore High School
Lake Shore students in costumes and Eagles shirts gather on the beach before the plunge
2ndyear for
W.G. Houston Middle School
 

Where the money goes

Why we plunge

Every dollar funds year-round sports training and competition for Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities. It also supports leadership, health and inclusion programs. Athletes and their families never pay to take part.

$160,000+raised by students from 33+ local schools in last year's Cool School Challenge
$1,000,000the Buffalo Polar Plunge goal for 2026
3,000+plungers across New York in 2025, raising $1.25 million
How the plunge got started

The first Special Olympics Polar Plunge was held in Wisconsin in 1999. Police officers saw a winter plunge in Alaska and turned it into a fundraiser. Today plunges happen across the country, and Buffalo's runs every year at Woodlawn Beach State Park.

1999The first Special Olympics Polar Plunge, in Wisconsin
2022Lake Shore High School takes its first plunge
2026The High School and Middle School plunge as one district team

December 2025

Last year on the beach
Plungers in costumes, including a Christmas tree, cheer in the waves of Lake Erie
Two students wrapped in towels laugh together on the beach after the plunge Lake Shore students in Eagles sweatshirts smile together in the warming tent at the Polar Plunge
Questions
Who can join the Lake Shore team?

Any Lake Shore middle or high school student can join, and so can Lake Shore staff. Sign up on the Lake Shore team page.

Do I have to go in the water?

No. You can fundraise and cheer from the beach, or give and share the team page. Every role helps.

How do students get there?

Students ride a bus from school to Woodlawn Beach. The plunge starts at noon.

Info needed Permission slip and bus times are coming soon.

What should my student bring?

Details are coming soon. We will post the full list here.

How do I give if I can't make it?

Give any time on the Lake Shore team page. You can also eat at one of the restaurant nights.

Where can I find the full event details?

Special Olympics New York posts everything on the Buffalo Polar Plunge event website. Woodlawn Beach State Park is at 3580 Lake Shore Rd, Blasdell, NY 14219 (get directions).

Who do I contact with questions?

About the Lake Shore team or school plans: call the main office at Lake Shore High School, 716-926-2301 or W.G. Houston Middle School, 716-926-2400.

About the Polar Plunge event: contact Erica Raepple, Senior Director, Western Region, Special Olympics New York, at 716-909-6444 or eraepple@nyso.org.

Anything else: the Lake Shore Communications Office at communications@lscsd.org or 716-259-5918.

Friday, December 4 · Noon

See you in the lake

Plunge, cheer or give. Every role helps Special Olympics New York athletes.

Join or give to the team →

Opens the Lake Shore team page on the Special Olympics New York site.