![Minutes before the Activities Fair in the gym, president Abhi Gowda ‘26 prepares the stall for his club Helping Hands, Sept. 4. A relatively new club, Helping Hands was co-started by Gowda and focuses on assisting the homeless, and just last year they succeeded in raising a couple hundred donations to send to shelters. This year, they have goals to expand, with hopes to increase volunteer opportunities and take in-person trips to shelters, as well as extend their help beyond just homeless people. “The Activities Fair gives a lot of underclassmen the opportunity to really get to know the Canyon culture, and it gives them many opportunities for service and volunteering,” Gowda said. “[Through the Activities Fair,] I hope to find a bunch of new and passionate members about our club and just get our name out there and spread awareness to the cause that we’re fighting for.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-2-1200x885.jpg)
![The winter guard team makes fifth place at the state championship finals in the Denver Coliseum, March 30. The team performed to Barnes Country's “Glitter and Gold,” lead by coaches Margo Sanford, Blair Bickerton and Anna Orgren. In their class there were a total of nine groups participating, and the top five who made it to finals received a plaque. “[Walking onto the stage] is very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting as well. When you first start color guard there's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty when you first perform in front of an audience, but once you've done it for a while, it starts to become the best part of the season,” Ella West ‘25 said. “It's very fulfilling to see an audience react to something you've put your heart and soul into.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Both-socal-media-nd-website-main-1-1200x846.jpg)
![April marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, created by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). This month is to spread awareness of the harassment, assault and abuse that happens around the world. The symbol that represented the month was a teal ribbon; however, some survivors of assault create different symbols and movements like the TikTok trend in 2022, where survivors would tattoo Medusa on their body, in honor of her backstory in Greek Mythology. “I don't think [this month is known] at all. I rarely see anybody talk about it. I rarely see much of an emphasis on posting it online, or much discussion about it, and I feel like there needs to be way more discussion,” an anonymous source said. “I think just validating every experience that a person has gone through, regardless of the degree of it, the severity, is an essential step into making sure that people are aware that this is a very real problem in a society and that we need to do better in addressing it.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0011-1200x900.jpg)
![Lesbian Visibility Day is April 26, and it’s a holiday to celebrate the lesbian community of the world. Lesbian Visibility day was established in 2008 by many queer activists and organizations who sought to raise more awareness for lesbian history and culture. “So this is why during Lesbian Visibility [Day] we celebrate and center all lesbians, both cis and trans, while also showing solidarity with all LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people,” Linda Reily, in an article written by her, said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lesbian-Visibility-day.jpeg)
Dare and Donate, Share and Shine
media by Maddy Merritt
Julia McDonald ’21 laughs after getting her hair cut during the Dare to Share event Tuesday, March 5. 102 pony tails were donated in four hours.
March 11, 2019
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.
