The trophy is a golden plunger. It will travel from school to school each year, going to whichever team raises the most money. Last year, it went to Centralia. The Centralia High School student council raised $7,115 — more than any other school at the Law Enforcement Frosty Faceoff, held at Mountain Dew Park in Marion — a regional fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois, where students, armed with personal fundraising pages and a willingness to jump into cold water, compete for bragging rights and a genuinely unusual piece of hardware.

Three of the students who made it happen are Michael Organ, a junior, and sophomores Julie Siegler and Addy Dukes. All three are members of the school's student council, which coordinated the effort in this event’s inaugural year under the guidance of sponsors Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Tyberendt. The council, which has around 50 members, didn't require anyone to participate in the plunge — it's optional, and you earn extra points toward your membership standing for doing it. Last year, a little more than half the council made the trip.

Getting there requires each participant to raise at least $100, with no ceiling on how much more they can collect. Students set up personal fundraising pages and share them through social media, family, and friends. School-based fundraisers — like selling ice cream and popsicles in the commons — also direct money to the cause. Michael raised a little over $500 on his own last year. For all three, the broader motivation had roots beyond the fundraising mechanics. Addy has family members with special needs and wanted to do something meaningful for them. Michael's father is the special education teacher at Centralia High School. "I really enjoy seeing people come together to raise money for such a good cause," he says. Julie's answer is more straightforward: "You get out of school, and it's for a good cause." Then she adds that Fazoli's was part of the appeal. Nobody disputes this.

Last year was the first time Centralia participated, so there was no one on the bus who had done it before. They arrived at the park, received their free event hoodies, had lunch, and spent some time playing cornhole and bags while food trucks served coffee and dirty sodas on the side. Then came the ceremony. All the teams lined up along the third baseline of the baseball diamond. Schools were called out one by one. And then came the announcement that Centralia had raised the most money of the roughly ten teams in attendance.

Winners go first. As the top fundraising school, the Centralia group was the first to go through the obstacle course — an inflatable bounce house structure with a set of stairs at the end — and plunge into the portable pool of frigid water waiting at the bottom. The sun beating on the turf had made everything look warm. It was not warm. "The turf kind of tricked us," Michael says, "because it was hot from the sun bearing down on it, and then you realized it wasn't actually that hot outside and the water was freezing." The wind didn't help. After jumping in, soaked and shocked, students ran across the outfield to the locker room to change. Towels were waiting by the pool, but the walk was a long one.

They're doing it again this year and going back to defend the Golden Plunger. The event is scheduled for March 19th at the same venue, with around 18 students signed up so far and more possibly joining. This year adds a new wrinkle: a best-dressed costume competition. The Centralia group is leaning toward superheroes. The water will still be cold regardless.

Beyond the event itself, the polar plunge is part of how the student council earns its points — and how it stays lively. Members accumulate points through meetings, volunteer work, blood drives, homecoming setup, and events like this one. Enough points, you keep your seat and don’t have to face re-election. The structure rewards engagement, which is why the council draws in students who actually want to be there. "It just makes you feel so good, knowing you did something good," Addy says. The golden plunger sitting in the school is a reminder that good things and cold water are not mutually exclusive.