February turned out to be a hairy month at Gaston Day School.
Ten teachers and a 12th-grader gave up shaving for 28 days to bring in money with a beard-growing competition.
“Facial Hair February” allowed competitors to see how impressive a beard each could grow.
Every week, students posted updated photos of the teachers’ progress next to tip jars.
Middle and upper school students dropped cash into the jars beside their favorite beards to raise money for the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.
The fundraiser brought in $1,700.
Administrators said the cause means a lot to the school because a pre-kindergarten student there has kidney disease.
To spice up the contest, bearded Gaston Day senior Parth Patel entered during the third week.
The move paid off. He won the contest, garnering the most donations.
Younger students who wanted to donate to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation also got the chance. Through a fundraiser called “Our Jeans Help Your Genes,” students in the lower school donated loose change and hosted a dance to raise awareness.
You can reach Wade Allen at 704-869-1828 or twitter.com/GazetteWade.
Teachers participating in the “Facial Hair February” competition:
English and journalism teacher Dylan Phillips
Director of athletics Casey Field
Head of upper and middle schools Greg Rainey
Geography teacher John Nussbaumer
Government and history teacher Troy Carter
Assistant athletic director Trent McCallister
Learning academy teacher Ben Tipton
First grade teacher Marc Gray
Algebra and statistics teacher Wesley Cox
U.S. history teacher Greg Lekavich