One of the world’s most famous operas is the Barber of Seville, a tale of gossip and matchmaking and the barber Figaro, a classic performed at opera houses around the world.
East High School has been presenting what could be titled the Barbers of Scarlet. Not as dramatic but perhaps more rewarding.
Demarko Walker and Kevin Espanosa are two young barbers with ties to the school. Demarko attended East for part of his high school education before graduating from Hoover in 2017 while Kevin is member of East’s Class of 2018. They both cut hair at two local spots: Demarko at Universal Kutz and Kevin at Blades.
On Monday afternoon, however, they donated their time to set up shop in a corner of the library, providing students with free haircuts.
Anthony Gianaras, an associate principal at East, explains the pop-up barber shop was created for this year students who show progress in areas such as attendance, achievement, and social interactions.
“Since implementing this measure, we have seen the improvements on a case-by-case basis: improved attendance for targeted classes, improved achievement for targeted classes, more connectivity with the school, and healthier interactions with both adults and peers,” noted Gianaras. “It is by no means a silver bullet fix, but we have really enjoyed this partnership with our alums while providing a service for students who are working hard to succeed.”
The incentive actually aligns with some of the School Board’s goals for student success.
If you ignored the shelves full of books it wasn’t hard imaging you were in a neighborhood barbershop: the buzzing of trimmers, the squirting of hair product, the sweeping of clippings, and the chatter of customers waiting their turn in the chair.
On a wall in the East library is a sign that summarizes some highlights of the school by the numbers: 2,030 students, 332 course offerings, 225 teachers and staff, and students from 59 nations. An additional figure for Monday: 2 barbers.
