In the event “Mustache for Cash,” which took place during the second week of March, 13 teachers agreed to grow out their facial hair for a noble cause.  It resulted in a donation of $1384 to Kayla Hoover’s family.

Once the event officially opened on March 9, each teacher shaved their beards and styled them into insane, bizarre, yet quite admirable, mustaches. The students and staff, then, donated various amounts of money to the individuals whom they thought had the greatest mustaches.

The winner—the teacher who earns the most donations—was promised the honorable Golden Mustache as a trophy of victory.

The entire school buzzed with the mustache talk, laughing and placing bets on who will win the competition. Ryan Pubentz, the AP U.S. Government teacher, went beyond the expectations by creating a campaign video, which featured his epic morning workout routine to the energetic Rocky theme song, and actively encouraging his students to donate to his mustache.

Various other competitive mustaches emerged, such as Trevor McGrath’s “inverted” mustache, not to mention Michael Verdi’s terrifyingly creepy mustache.

The seemingly ridiculous event had extraordinary results. With a grand total of $1,384.66, Key Club presented all the donations to Kayla’s family. As for individual awards, the coveted Golden Mustache went to the well-deserved Pubentz, totaling at $424.67, Silver went to Jerry Turk with $289.17, and Bronze went to Corey Hoynacke with $177.54. Additionally, the following special awards were presented to those teachers with the craziest mustaches:

Most Creative Mustache: Mr. McGrath

Most Middle School Mustache: Mr. Deaton

Most likely to be seen in a Biker Bar Mustache: Mr. Mackar

Most Luscious Mustache: Mr. Gynn

The “Creeper Stache”: Mr. Verdi

As the recipient of the Golden Mustache, Pubentz showed his students with pride and thanked them for their help. “When I hear people say, ‘This generation just doesn’t get it;’ I quickly share this example, as one of the many that demonstrates the unselfishness of this generation,” he said proudly.

“This campaign was about a young girl from Mayfield and her family who needed help. The students of Mayfield learned about Kayla’s need and rallied to her support. Although I have only been here two years, I have learned that Mayfield takes care of Mayfield which is why I knew this fundraiser would be successful,” Pubentz said.

The idea for the event stemmed from Pubentz’s previous experience at Lebanon High School, where they had hosted Mustache for Cash as a fundraiser for Leukemia. “I thought it was a fun and creative way to draw attention to a very important cause. In 2012 the school raised over $1,200 of which my classes generated $606. I was very inspired by the selflessness of my students,” he said.

The plans for future years are already on way. The sheer enthusiasm of the school encouraged Key Club to begin thinking of ways to better involve the students.  Turk, co-adviser of Key Club, eagerly offered potential ideas, stating, “We’re thinking about giving the actual students the opportunity to participate in the fundraiser, letting them grow mustaches. It would almost be like a competition!”

With the initial step made to settle Mustache for Cash into an annual event, there is plenty to look forward to in the future.

As English teacher Nick Somich said, “One thing you can say about this generation of kids is that they truly care about each other. When it comes to helping someone in need or respecting someone’s handicap, they are very respectful.”