Students, parents, teachers and family members turned out before school for “Morning Buzz,” where haircuts went for . Money raised will be donated to fighting cancer, in honor of Susan Kern, a teacher at Back Creek Elementary who is battling the disease. Kern’s son, Wally, played basketball for Cave Spring about 10 years ago. Last year, “Morning Buzz” was held as a general fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, but this year, Susan Kern was the rallying point.
Student body president Greg Mackey, a senior who will attend Virginia Tech, said he expected more than 100 to attend, and this year’s “Buzz” raised upwards of $1,500. Local stylists donated their time, and breakfast was provided by Famous Anthony’s, possibly enticing more participants.
Daniel Rutherford was going for the clean-shaven look; his grandmother died of cancer. “It’s definitely good for me to do it,” he said while a stylist took off the last of his locks.
Many of the boys went for the buzz cut, while the girls who took part were not so adventurous.
“There’s connections in the school [to cancer],” Mackey noted. “A lot of people …know how serious it is, and how tough it is for people in our community.”
Cave Spring principal Steve Spangler has plenty of good things to say about his students when it comes to events like the Morning Buzz.
“Our kids …serve the community,” said Spangler, who taught Wally Kern at Cave Spring in the past, before retuning as principal. “They are always at the front of any type of community service. They’re the ones that find what the cause is – and go help.”