Students and staff at St Leo’s Catholic College let their hair down in March for the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.
“Team Leo” was a team of fourteen students and five staff members, and was led by Year 12 student and SRC President Josh McLeod. The event, which sees participants sponsored to shave their heads, raised a staggering $11,265.
Josh said, “We originally set a target of $3,000, which was quickly exceeded once our Principal and two staff members announced they would also shave their heads.”
Tyson Manktelow of Tyson’s Hairdressing at Hornsby Hospital gave the participants a professional shave for the event. Tyson is a parent of two daughters who attend the school.
Josh said, “I think most people within the community have been personally affected by cancer in one form or another – this was just one small way in which we felt we could help”.
Ella Stewart and Veronica Smith, both aged 16 and in Year 11, were heralded by their peers as the bravest students in the College as they shaved their heads, donating the hair to a charity which recycles human hair into wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
“I was so nervous and in complete shock when Tyson the hairdresser started to shave my head,” said Ella, “But Veronica and I were both a hundred per cent committed to shaving for the cause. Our hair will grow again, and we aren’t going through any trauma like a cancer patient. It was so worth it.”
The event was attended by Mieka Hynec from the Leukaemia Foundation, who also co-ordinated the promotional material and advertising.