By DAVID McDONALD ‘18
On Tuesday November 8, Mr. Franzinger announced over the PA that NoShave November would be happening after all. The announcement came as a surprise to students who figured that the tradition would not be continuing this year, as the school was already a week into November. The announcement detailed that this No-Shave November would be abbreviated, starting on November 16, if and only if no students came to school unshaved and were asked to shave. The fact that students get to participate in the event at all can be attributed to the hard work and devotion of the Student Senate President, Nathan Abdelnour ‘18.
No-Shave November has taken place at St. Ignatius every year for longer than any current student has been enrolled. The event allows students to grow out their facial hair by requiring a five-dollar donation from anyone who wishes to participate. It is inspired by the larger “Movember” campaign which encourages men to stay unshaven for the month of November to raise awareness for common men’s health issues, like prostate and testicular cancer. Last year, No-Shave November, organized by the Student Senate, was also cut short, not beginning until November 9. This year the school cancelled it completely. In a senior class meeting on October 19, Franzinger dismissed the importance of the tradition and said it would not be happening because too many students were leaving trash on their lunch tables, especially in the senior lounge.
But Abdelnour, who had been asking for permission since October, was determined to get No-Shave November for his fellow students. He attributes the school administration’s change of heart to his persistence, telling the Eye, “I think that since I asked him many times it made him want to reach an agreement with me.” Now students get five days to grow their beards until Lumberjack Day, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, which has typically been the day on which beards are judged and a winner is declared.
So the annual tradition, offering students a chance to legally break dress code, will continue another year. The past two years have shown that putting on the event takes dedication on the part of Student Senate. Hopefully in the future student behavior will improve.
