November 14, 2023 was a very memorable day for the people who watched as Westbury High School English teacher, Michael Villanti, made the decision to cut his hair in front of the school in the auditorium. Every two years, Villanti cuts his hair as a donation to Children With Hair Loss which is a non-profit organization that provides human hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults facing medically related hair loss.
“I was inspired by the Middle School Principal, then assistant principal, Mrs. Felicia Crawford about 18 years ago to begin donating my hair to charities that offer human-hair wigs at no cost to those with medically related hair loss, such as cancer, alopecia and burn victims,” Villanti stated. He continued, “She stopped me in the hall on a few occasions and told me that I had nice hair. I didn’t think much about it, until it was significantly longer, and she said, ‘Do you know how much a wig made of your hair would cost?’ Honestly, I had no idea. When she told me that it would be close to $1,000, I got the idea that if it really is that nice, and I am not really doing anything with it, then I should donate to someone who could really use it. I have been growing it out and donating ever since.” This year, Villianti being the advisor for the Graduating Class of 2026 along with music teacher Nadine Schalk decided to turn the day into a fundraiser for students to vote on which haircut he would get. People donated $1 per vote, half being donated to the charity and the other half going to the Class of 2026. The votes were counted up and the majority of the students chose for him to go bald. So, bald he went! What a surprise considering how long his hair was and how long it must have taken. Villanti states that it takes “about 24 months for my hair to grow about 14 inches, then I cut it, donate it and start all over again.”
While he waits for it to grow back, the Westbury High School community will remember the long, luscious hair that Villanti once had, and appreciate that this selfless act raised hundreds of dollars for both Children With Hair Loss and the Class of 2026.
