Long hair lost to big hearts Students donate hair to Locks of Love By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle "I've never had my hair short, not since I was a baby. Never," said Lineville Intermediate School student Bianca Jaimes. The sixth-grader with long, thick, black hair waited for an out-of-the ordinary hair cut that took place during a school-wide assembly on Thursday. Jaimes was among 26 students from Lineville Intermediate School in Howard-Suamico and five students from Luxemburg-Casco Intermediate School who donated their hair to Locks of Love. The nonprofit organization supplies hairpieces to children under 18 years of age who have lost hair because of a medical condition. "It's helping a child who can't grow any of their own hair," said sixth-grader Lindsay Servin. Servin and her classmate Amy Schweitzer donated their hair Thursday to help students who need hair prosthetics. "It makes them feel more confident about themselves being in school and being around other people," Schweitzer said. A majority of children that benefit from Locks of Love hairpieces have a condition called alopecia areata. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, the disease affects 4.7 million people in the United States. A person's immune system disrupts the function of hair follicles, preventing hair growth. Typically the disease first appears in childhood. "It's something we can do for other kids," said the school's associate principal, Becky Zimmer, who donated her hair also. Donating hair to Locks of Love is something the students can do that is an easy way to help other people, Zimmer said. Whether it is easy is debatable. The prospect of having one's hair drastically changed in front of the entire school is intimidating, according to some students. Sixth-grader Mallory White watched from the gym's bleachers as students and staff, seated on an elevated platform, relinquished their hair to the snip of hairstylists' scissors. White said she considered the hair donors to be brave. "They aren't freaked out to get their hair cut short," she said. Principal Chuck Templer told the students that the acts of their fellow classmates lived out the school's "guiding principles" which include "respect", "trustworthiness" and especially "compassion." Stylists from Elements Salon and Spa and Michael's Styling Center in Howard and All About U Hair Salon in Suamico volunteered their time and services to the event and who perfected the students' hair cuts. Jaimes shook her new head of hair that was cut just above her shoulders. "It's lighter and puffier and it's too short," she said, but added that she will grow accustomed to the new length. Having her hair cut before the entire school was a difficult thing to do because under other circumstances she could adjust to the new hairstyle in private, she said. The students made a premeditated decision to donate their hair to Locks of Love, while some clients that get a hair cut in a salon do not realize their hair can be a charitable donation. Hair that is at least 10 inches in length can be donated, and hair that is gray or unsuitable for children is sold at market value. Locks of Love uses the sale's proceeds in manufacturing hairpieces. Dawn Dyce-White, a hairstylist at Elements, said if someone is taking off a sufficient amount of hair, she encourages them to make a donation. "There's nobody that would not donate it," she said. Kay Koeppel, hair stylist at Michael's Styling Center, said she encourages clients to donate their hair if they have already decided to lose a long hair style. "It's really cool to see how proud they are when you ask them to do that," she said. Social studies and language arts teacher Chris Miller let students shave his head with an electric razor in tribute to his students who publicly cut their hair and made a donation. His students purchased raffle tickets and a chance to shave some of Miller's hair for 25 cents. The endeavor raised $103 for Locks of Love. "I was so impressed with these girls who've been growing their hair for years and years and to donate something so personal to them," Miller said. Miller said his gesture does not approach the magnitude of his students' acts.