Two Eganville and District Public School admin staff stepped into the courtyard last Wednesday to take an ice bath in front of over 400 cheering students and staff. Principal Shelley Gagne, left, and Vice Principal Kaley McMillan took a polar plunge on Jan. 29 as a reward for a reading initiative they had organized hoping for students to log over 1,500 hours by the end of the month.

---

Eganville – Cozying up to read has never felt so cold!

Students and staff at Eganville and District Public School (EDPS) recently had the chance to break from their regularly scheduled afternoon classes for some especially chilly shenanigans.

Last Wednesday, EDPS Principal and Vice Principal Shelley Gagne and Kelly McMillan took to freezing ice water to fulfill a project they organized in hopes of encouraging the school-wide community to put down their screens, pick up a book, and have some fun while they’re at it.

The dynamic duo had planned the Freezing for Reading challenge in recognition of Family Literacy Day on the 27th and posted a large paper thermometer in the hallway to track the hours each student contributed. They promised students if they collectively logged a total of 1,500 hours, they would get to see Mrs. Gagne and Ms. McMillan take on a daring feat: a polar plunge.

“That really sparked some interest among the kids, to see us do silly, fun, ridiculous community-building things,” Ms. McMillan told the Leader. “They were sending in notes saying, ‘I read for 30 minutes,’ or ‘I read for an hour over the weekend.’ I can speak for most of the staff (when I say), we’ll do all the fun things in the world to get kids to love reading and books.”

She had hoped the project would encourage kids to not only find the time to start reading, but to even pick it up as a hobby and begin enjoying the act of reading regularly. The students also had a few ways of getting their hours in.

The challenge allowed students to log hours from reading independently, with friends, in-class and even bedtime stories. Despite some concerns they might not reach their goal in the allotted time, they ended up exceeding it by over 200 hours for 1,700 total. Ms. Gagne said the initiative has also opened up some doors to relationships between younger and older students participating in the Reading Buddies program.

The Experience

It was a new and exciting adventure for Mrs. Gagne, who would experience it for the first time with an avid cold enjoyer. As for who had the idea to step into a giant bucket of ice water, Ms. McMillan was a little more in her element as a regular participant in cold water immersion. They charged into the courtyard wearing varied levels of protection.

Mrs. Gagne, beneath a mountain of coats, made a grand entrance to hundreds of cheering students and staff crowding around a tub of freezing cold ice water. Her illustrious trainer, Ms. McMillan, trailed closely behind in shirt and shorts. After a round of high-fives, the pair got down to business and Ms. McMillan started to assist Mrs. Gagne in peeling off her layers.

“A lot of staff added their personal reading hours in at the last minute just to make sure we were over our goal, because I think they enjoyed seeing us,” Ms. McMillan said.

When asked how she was doing after the plunge, Ms. Gagne said she felt “invigorated,” and that it wasn’t as bad as she expected.