ASHLAND – Knowing the back-to-school season can be hectic and pricey for families, Nicole Brodie and Hillary Heydinger set out to help.
Brodie is principal at Reagan Elementary School and her friend, Heydinger, owns Z’s Hair Designs, a hair salon located just around the corner from the school.
The pair hatched a plan to offer free haircuts at the school for any Reagan student, and they carried out their vision Wednesday evening, just in time for the first day of school Monday.
“I thought this would be a fabulous idea,” Heydinger said. “It gives them a newfound confidence to start the school year off with a new, fresh look.”
Heydinger and her entire salon staff volunteered their time and their tools, and Brodie spread the word to families via social media and postcards.
The stylists set up shop in the school cafeteria, where families also enjoyed coloring pages and a Lego-themed photo booth as they waited for their student’s turn.
Some children, like 7-year-old Aaliyah and 5-year-old Isabella Vanetta, were happy to get new haircuts.
“They were excited. They haven’t had their hair cut for a while,” said the girls’ mom, Lindsey Metcalf.
Other students didn’t care for the feeling of the salon cape around their necks or the sound of the razor by their ears. But their parents were happy to check the haircuts off their to-do lists.
Brodie beamed as she visited with kids, including those she hasn’t seen all summer and those who just finished kindergarten camp.
“I just really have a heart for these kids, so I’m always looking for ways to show them we care,” Brodie said. “Haircuts can be stressful for families, so we’re happy to take some of the burden off.”
Brodie said the event fit perfectly with the energy of transformation she tries to create for the start of a new school year.
“When kids feel good about themselves, they’re ready to learn,” she said.
Heydinder and Brodie said Wednesday’s haircut event was the first of its kind, but they hope it won’t be the last.
The women hope to continue to grow the event in future years, possibly bringing in other businesses or agencies to help with families’ other back-to-school needs.
