A.J. Keene had to warn the Lakehead Public Schools director of education that he might be sporting a shocking new look when he met with them late Tuesday morning.
Shocking pink, that is.
Keene, the school’s affable principal, was joined by French teacher Matt Steele and student teacher Jamie Searle in front of a school-wide assembly that saw the trio transformed from ordinary classroom leaders into new wave throwbacks, their hair plastered in neon pink goop.
It was all in the name of charity.
“About a week ago one of our teachers came up to me and asked me if we could do a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, and I said, ‘Of course.’ Then they asked if I would be willing to dye my hair pink. And I said, ‘How much do you have to raise?’”
Apparently Steele underestimated his students and staff.
Figuring there was no way they’d collect the $500 they’d set as their target in such a short time span, he immediately said yes.
“I agreed wholeheartedly, and on the last day of fundraising they really put a big push on and managed to raise $536 for the Canadian Cancer Society,” he said, joking the pink might cover up a bit of the grey in his hair.
Keene said that Thunder Bay’s isolation means students don’t always have a global view of the world. The fundraiser was a way to help them broaden their horizons.
“Every opportunity we get to teach the students about charitable organizations or people in need, whether it’s across the globe or right here in town, we do … It’s important because they need to know just how difficult other people have it,” he said.
Faith Prosyk helped conceive the plan, and for good reason the 10-year-old said.
“We’ve had family members and friends with cancer and we wanted to support it,” she said. “It was so fun because we could get hands on with their hair and dye it bright pink.”
Classmate Ashley Rabachuk, 11, said students at their school and Hyde Park Elementary School held a dance to raise money for the charity, which holds a special place in her heart these days.
“I’m happy because my grandpa had cancer and he just died from it, so it means a lot to me,” she said.
Searle, a former all-star point guard with the Lakehead Thunderwolves basketball team, said the students did all the work.
All the teachers did was agree to help out.
“It’s for a great cause and these two did a great job doing it too,” he said, pointing to Keene and Steele.
How long he’ll keep the new look – the students made sure his beard and mustache were coated too – remains to be seen.
“I don’t know. I’ve got a couple of meetings coming up, a couple of interviews, so not too long.”
