Almost 90 students at Saltus Grammar School are set to have their heads shaved on Friday to help raise $100,000 for St Baldrick’s.

It is the eleventh year the school has taken part and last year it raised more than $270,000 – making it one of the biggest fundraisers worldwide for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Altogether the school has raised more than $1.27 million.

Rosie Doughty, S5 teacher at Saltus said: “We currently have 86 shavees and another 12 students who are donating their hair for wigs. We have 24 girls taking part, one teacher, Leighton Yong, some parents as well as twins Tomas and Jordan Mello and Luciana and Sebastian Fischer.

“Many families are also involved, and their younger siblings are joining in, as well as students who first shaved in Upper Primary and who are now in Senior School. Brett Baumgartner is considered a ‘knight’ by St. Baldrick’s as this is his seventh year taking part, a phenomenal achievement.

“Our goal this year is $100,000 and we’re already at $89,000, with that amount going up on an hourly basis. We would love to exceed this total.”

Mrs Doughty added: “This is Saltus’s eleventh year fundraising for St. Baldrick’s and last year we thought maybe we might end on the ‘high’ of a decade of taking part, but then we realized that our parents, students and teachers were so involved and committed, that they didn’t want it to end.

“Over the years, Saltus has made a massive contribution to the research into childhood cancers which St. Baldrick’s supports and we’re proud of the part we’ve played.”

As well as shaves, students are helping to raise money in other ways: S3 students are collecting pennies, nickels and dimes which they will weigh and then donate, S4 are collecting pennies and trying to fill a giant container, S5 designed and made moneyboxes, which they are now trying to fill and S6 are guessing the pennies in the jar, and shoe-shining.

“Whilst not everyone is able to shave, they all want to get involved so the year groups have come up with different ways to save their own pennies for the cause,” said Mrs Doughty.

The Saltus event takes place on Friday, starting at 8.45am. Dan Sullivan, a Saltus parent will MC the event, and another parent, Val Stevenson, will be the DJ.

If people want to donate they can do so here: https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/bravetheshaveatsaltus2018