Baldrick is beautiful at AHS
Students at Alton High School had a "hairy" lunch hour Friday, with some literally giving up the hair on their heads to raise money for childhood cancer research.
"I'm going to save a lot of money on shampoo," joked junior Jordan Pfeifer, 16, rubbing his now-bald head after the public shaving in the AHS cafeteria-commons.
"It's different," he decided about his new, hairless "'do."
It was the second year in a row that Interact Club, a student group affiliated with Rotary International, held the shave-a-thon fund-raiser for St. Baldrick's Foundation.
As with last year's effort, everyone getting a head shave was male.
The more hair that the participants were losing, the more "oohs," "ahs" and cheers they elicited from their fellow students.
Long chunks of straight hair and big clumps of curls - such as from junior Eric York - fell to the floor as the shavers buzzed.
York, who admitted it took him "a couple years" to grow his long, dark, thick curls, said he didn't mind losing them for the St. Baldrick's cause.
"I thought it would be a good thing to raise money for a good cause," he said.
As did Pfeifer, York rubbed his newly bald head to feel the difference.
Teacher Cami Giertz, sponsor of the club, said 15 students, four faculty members and two administrators - including Alton School District Superintendent David Elson - signed up for the free shaves, and also solicited donations.
Last year, six staff members and five students stepped up to the shavers and raised about $2,000, doubling their initial goal.
"Our goal was $2,000; we've already collected $2,000, so we've met our goal," Giertz said about this year's effort. "Students are soliciting donations through Monday for the effort, in person and online" at
http://www.stbaldricks.org.
Giertz said the club would not know exactly how much it raised until next week.
She praised two AHS students for their independent efforts to raise several hundred dollars for St. Baldrick's. Interact Club President Alex Schenk held a dress-down day at St. Ambrose School in Godfrey, raising $410; Blake Novak held a "personal run" at North Elementary School's track and drummed up more than $350 from sponsors from his father's company, she said.
WBGZ radio reporter Doug Jenkins, who has sported a long ponytail for years, got one of the first drastic head-shavings.
Jenna Quigley, a stylist from Rumours hair salon in Godfrey, said she enjoys volunteering for the effort.
"I think it's great," she said. "I think it's a great cause that kids are stepping up to help."
There is no "St. Baldrick," but the first event took place on St. Patrick's Day 2000, so the name was a blend of the holiday and "bald."
Organizers said the resulting name was a way to show solidarity with young cancer patients who lose their hair from chemotherapy. "Green" is a tie-in with St. Patrick's Day.
The St. Baldrick's Web site says the organization gave $41,719,799 in grants from 2005 to 2009. This year alone, it has raised $16,483,722, with 33,431 "shavees" losing their hair for the effort.
