THUNDER BAY — For the last year or so, St. Ignatius High School teacher Justin Ball has been letting his hair and beard grow out.
On Monday morning, a huge chunk of that went away and the rest was restyled and dyed in bright colours.
“I’ve been told that it looks great,” Ball said with a laugh.
“I’m stoked with it.
"I don’t know how my wife’s going to feel about it. She knew that this was happening but she didn’t know what the style was going to be.”
Ball’s new hairstyle came about as part of a fundraiser the school held to kick off its anti-bullying week.
As part of their Chop it Like it’s Hot event, students raised $750 to support the St. Ignatius Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the Other 10% group, which are student organizations dedicated to promoting inclusion, acceptance and support within the school community.
“We are trying to bring awareness to inclusion here in the school and even in the city as we try to maybe redefine a little bit about what Catholic inclusion looks like,” Ball said.
“I hope that what we have going on here this week changes people’s feelings towards different groups. You see the signage that’s around the gymnasium from the different groups that are here in our school and I hope it turns into a message of hope and change.”
The anti-bullying week runs through Friday at the school and features a variety of events.
