Snip! The wrestling room floor is covered in hair. Salon chairs, ponytails, encouragement, a sense of community and gaping mouths filled the wrestling room Mar. 5 and 7 during in the mornings before school and access. From 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday morning, students, by appointment and walk-ins, donated their hair to children who have lost theirs due to illnesses.

For 8 of the 10 years that Rock Canyon has executed Wish Week, the school has sponsored Dare to Share Your Hair, the club that puts on the event every year and coordinates the donations. Social Studies Teacher David Sapienza is the sponsor of the club, and he, along with a committee of students, puts on the event every year.

The minimum amount of hair required in order to donate is 8 inches, however some students donated up to 12 or even shaved their heads. Regardless of how much they donate, students know that their hair is going to a good cause.

“It feels good donating. I really wanted to cut my hair all four years, and this is the first time I’ve done it, so I’m really excited. I’ve always wanted to just because my hair’s really long, and it grows really fast,” Izzy Weiss ’19 said. “I’ve always been too impatient, so I always cut it off in December, but I waited so I could cut it off, and I’m really happy,”

Students and volunteers from the Stacey James Institute of Cosmetology cut students’ hair, allowing them to feel secure that it will be cut evenly and sparingly. The ponytails that are collected are given to Hare We Share, a company that makes wigs out of all the donated ponytails and distributes them free of cost. According to Joanne Fritz from The Balance Small Business, Hair We Share is the fifth best place to donate your hair to “…as far as popularity and impact,” (Fritz).

Music playing and kids laughing and cheering and gasping, the wrestling room was filled with excited and shocked voices as students cut their hair and shaved their heads. Students were corralled off the mats, taking photos and videos and encouraging their friends. Dare to Share members ran a table at the front of the wrestling mats, collecting waivers and selling Dare to Share t-shirts at $20 each. Others bustled around, bagging ponytails and assisting the hair stylists. When the chaos concludes and Wish Week is over, students involved know that they contributed in a substantial way.

“Being a part of dare to share your hair has been such a gift. I have loved watching the Rock Canyon community give back in such a selfless way. I think this organization is like no other and i am so proud to be a part of it. Like most things in life, Dare to Share Your Hair does not run perfect every time, but I think despite mishaps we have throughout the week it is all about the students and our wish kid. Dare to share your hair has become a great community and something I look forward to every year,”  Dare to Share member Tyler Tankersley ’20 said.