How much is the community willing to spend to see Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) teacher Pat Ternan shave off his well-known white beard and moustache and have his hair cut?
For the group of teachers spearheading the school’s Movember fundraiser they hope the answer is at least $5,000. “He’s quite a handsome man when he is cleanly shaven and has a proper haircut,” said Kevin Geinger, one of the teachers participating in the fundraiser.
Although Geinger noted the majority of the community will have to take his word on that because only a relatively few people have seen the teacher without his facial hair, which many have characterized as being similar to Santa Claus’.
Last year was the first time BCHS participated in Movember as a school. Movember is a movement whose purpose is to raise money as well as awareness, for men’s prostate and testicular cancer, by the growing of moustaches.
However, Heath Klein noted the staff felt it would be more appropriate if the funds they raised went to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation because of the number of BCHS students and families who receive help from the hospital.
“Our kids and families are fighting cancer and by helping the Stollery we are helping them,” he said.
As for how the staff and students are raising money there are a number of ways to participate.
Just like last year, a number of BCHS male staff members are participating in a moustache growing contest, but this year they are inviting male student body members to participate as well.
For $10 male students can enter a moustache growing contest of their own with prizes being awarded for the best, most creative and cheesiest facial growths.
For the girls, for $10 they can enter a leg hair growth competition.
“We are also holding a raffle where the winner can either wax and rip the hair off a male teacher’s legs or to do the makeup of a participating female teacher’s face for the day,” Klein said.
In addition to the school’s $5,000 goal, which would see a freshly coifed Mr. Ternan, if the school reaches the $3,500 mark all participating male teachers, including principal Steven Kaplan, will shave half of their facial hair.
Currently there are eight male teachers taking part, but by the shaving date of Dec. 8 Klein and Geinger believe that there will be many.
For those people in the community who want to participate BCHS has set up an online donation page, BCHS’s - Stylin’ For Stollery, at bit.ly/2017bchs.
