Merewether High sets $80,000 fundraising goal for World's Greatest Shave

Year 12 student Cooper Ivory, 17, said the school's prefects had every year for the past decade led their peers' participation in the foundation's World's Greatest Shave event, to be held this year on March 24.

He said more than 100 students had already signed up to either shave, cut or dye their hair for the cause.

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"I don't think we've ever had over 100 students participate, so it's incredible," Cooper said.

"We also have a number of teachers that have gotten involved as well and that's always really cool when you see the teachers get up on stage and shave their heads for the great cause as well."

Cooper said last year's prefects raised a record $78,000 and this year's prefects had decided "consistency is key" and to hold regular fundraising events to boost their chance of reaching $80,000.

They've already raised more than $66,000 in just over a month, which is the third highest amount raised in the country by a team.

They're holding school events every Friday - students dressed as superheroes last week and have sold pizza, breakfast, baked goods and held a crazy sock day - and will host an Easter raffle this Thursday and a crazy hair day this Friday.

They've also increased the opportunities for the wider community to be involved, with tickets now on sale to the online Raffle for a Remedy.

It has more than $6000 in prizes, including a four person reservation at Chevals Restaurant valued at $600, a $530 Newcastle Golf Club voucher, a $300 Seabreeze Hotel voucher, a signed Newcastle Knights jersey and a $250 Nouvelle Cosmetics voucher.

Cooper said participation in the event was "incredibly special" and a "really big part of the school culture". He said it started after a student's parent received a blood cancer diagnosis. "It's a really prominent disease within the community," he said.

"I frequently hear stories of particularly children that have been diagnosed with this awful disease and it's something that hits close to home for a lot of us.

"It's really heartwarming to click on to some of the descriptions [on the online fundraising page] of what students have written and to hear they do have personal connections to people who have been affected by it, it's very emotional reading some of that."

Cooper said the timing of the event as the weather started to cool meant that beanies would soon become a popular accessory in the playground.

"That's the fun of it, but at the end of the day that's what people who are undergoing chemotherapy have to endure and that's what we're doing - we're there to support people going through those treatments."

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