Splash, the cold water dripping, the laughter from the students and staff, and the sound of the cameras flashing fill the sunny Latrobe air on February 27, 2026, in the commons courtyard.
The Freeze Frenzy was one of the few fundraisers conducted to raise money for the new Unified Club, Unified Bocce, and the Special Olympics. Some players from the Unified Bocce team attended the Polar Plunge at Acrisure Stadium on February 27 and made a donation of $590.00 to the local Special Olympics.
This is Latrobes’ first year doing the Freeze Frenzy. “The idea came from attending the Unified Sports Youth Summit, which is a leadership training event that brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities to promote school-wide inclusion, advocacy, and respect, back in the fall,” Learning Support Teacher Marissa Falkosky said.
About ten teachers volunteered to have ice water dumped on their heads, and chemistry teacher and Environmental Club advisor Mr. Richter raised the most money.
Outside in the courtyard of the Greater Latrobe Senior High School, the water dumping took place. “It wasn’t too bad, except my feet were cold,” Richter said. The water was not too cold; it was a sunny day in Latrobe, and the ice bucket was only filled halfway with ice and water.
“Talking to the students and teachers, soaking wet and wrapped in a towel, was a funny experience,” Richter said. Standing outside after getting water dumped on his head, Mr. Richter had to get a few interviews after the excitement.
“I was happy to help out the Unified Club,” Richter added. Richter was inspired to help raise money for the Bocce to help out his neighbor, Miss Falkosky and the Unified Bocce team.
After being one of the few teachers to volunteer to get water dumped on them, Mr. Richter knew that there was a good possibility of his getting chosen. “I think it’s funny I was chosen,” Richter said. Miss Falkosky said that always having the same teachers chosen to do activities at the school, like Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Trentin, it was good to have a change.
“I was relieved to get it out of the way,” Richter claimed. After a long week of anticipation, Mr. Richter was ready for it to be over. During the countdown to when the bucket got dumped, there were tons of cell phones and cameras recording. “I knew I was going to become a meme,” Richter said.
The Unified Club raised a good amount of money this year to help with the Special Olympics athletes and to help with their club as well. They hope to bring more students to the club, too. Next year, they plan on raising more money and hope to have as much fun as they did this year.
