During the month of November at SWHS, over 50 faculty members participated in a contest to see who could grow the most facial hair.
We are all winners because we get a month off of shaving.
— Mr. Grosso
“We are all winners because we get a month off of shaving,” said SWHS math teacher and organizer of the contest, Mr. Grosso. Grosso’s plan is to donate the funds to different organizations each year, to date the fundraiser has donated to over 20 different organizations.
“The inspiration from year to year comes from different faculty members at SWHS and what may be important to them,” Grosso stated.
He started a focus on men’s health/cancer awareness, but quickly grew to support many different initiatives. Another motivator for him was his “absolute disdain for shaving.” Grosso was appreciative to all the staff who participated, especially during the busy season.
It’s, “a long standing tradition that has gone on for ten years,” principal and participant Mr. Rizzuto explained. There are many people who have been doing it from the beginning and look forward to it each year.
“It’s been a truly wonderful experience from the start, whether it is the support from administration, the battle between Mr. Freeman and Mr. Gray to be the first to donate, the year after year massive donation from Mr. Cioe, the help from Mr. Eppler and Mr. Pantages designing the magnets [given as a prize], the involvement of Mrs. Wolf and the child care program, or the support of all the faculty that participate, it has been such a humbling and rewarding experience,” Grosso told The Prowl.
“I have had some variation of facial hair since I was 14 years old,” Grosso explained, “So that means I have some 29 year old follicles at this point. The length, shape, and style have seen many different changes along the way, but I have not had a cleanly shaven face in 29 years.”
