UNDERBERG School Grade 7s braved the icy temperatures to take part in their “Polar Bear Swim” yesterday to celebrate the winter solstice.
This forms part of the Grade 7s’ “Seven Challenges” during the year, which include hiking up Hodgson’s Peak and a silent day in the fourth term, where no talking takes place for an entire day.
The Polar Bear Swim challenge involves swimming the length of the school swimming pool to put the pupils in a “mind over matter situation” under controlled conditions.
While the water temperature was a chilly 14° C, the air temperature was an even more icy 0° C.
Afterwards, the freezing pupils warmed themselves up next to a fire and were given breakfast and hot chocolate. After a warm shower, they went back to class.
Parents who gathered to watch were proud of their children meeting the challenge, said Mary-Ann Holt, the school admissions and headmaster’s secretary. “When I asked the children later in the morning if they were cold, they said, ‘No we are great!’.” — Witness Reporter
