At last year’s Polar Pop event, instead of having water balloons popped over her head, Allison Lease opted to have buckets of ice dumped on her.
“I just thought the ice buckets would be more fun,” Lease, a senior, said. “If I’m going to do it, I might as well go all out.”
This year’s Polar Pop will be held on Friday at the Baldwin High School stadium. For Lease, it will be her fourth year of participating.
“I got involved in the Polar Pop when I joined the Special Olympics, and I wanted to participate again to help raise awareness for the organization,” Lease said.
It’s just one of the inclusion activities Lease is involved in, said Eric Jankoski, transition coordinator at the high school.
“She helps out in the Baldwin Bean coffee shop, supporting individuals with varying abilities. She is also a member of our unified bocce team that she has been a part of for the past two years,” Jankoski said. “She also attends a lot of events, working with our guys and does an all-around fantastic job with everything we do.”
In her work at the Bean, Jankoski cited her enthusiasm and dedication to the job.
“She is very reliable. If she is not able to be there, she lets me know. Even if she’s running a minute late, she still tells me, ” Jankoski said. “That’s the kind of leadership and work ethic that is super helpful to us. She is definitely a great role model for the other students.”
Playing on the unified bocce team also has given Lease the opportunity to work alongside students with different ability levels and to raise awareness for Special Olympics.
“These types of events are so important because they spread inclusion and give everyone an opportunity to participate,” Lease said.
Lease also helps run the National Honor Society as the tutoring chair, handling the tutoring hours and requirements for other students. Senior Anna Plunkett, who is service chair on the NHS board, explained the importance of Lease’s role.
“What she does is really hard just because it’s a lot of people to manage and having to keep people on task while being their peer but also being their superior in a certain way,” Plunkett said. “She cares a lot about it too. It’s a really prestigious club and she understands she has standards to hold up to.”
Lease had the idea of providing honor society tutoring during Highlander Time, and she took the initiative to organize it and spread the word to ensure students could understand when and where to show up.
“All the hard work I’ve put in to manage this position is definitely rewarding,” Lease said. “It feels great to know I’m trusted enough to be in this leadership role.”
Lease also has played for the girls volleyball team and is a member of the track and field team.
She came to the end of her volleyball career in October, after playing since sixth grade. She played as an outside hitter for most of her years in club and school.
For the track and field team, Lease throws javelin and shot put. This will be her second year taking part in track. Her peers recognize how outgoing and spirited Lease is.
“I convinced her to do track with me last year because I knew she was really athletic and driven to be active,” Plunkett said.
Her positive attitude stands out not just in sports but her other activities.
“Her demeanor is upbeat and positive. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air if someone else is having a bad day or someone’s not in the best mood. Allison is definitely someone who can turn that around pretty quickly,” Jankoski said.
