ACR teacher Kelly Kanelos gets her hair cut by student Franco Beltran-Chavez

A teacher rewarded her students’ good deeds by letting them give her a special haircut. 

Kelly Kanelos, who teaches Child Development at A.C. Reynolds High School, asked her students to bring in diapers, wipes, and other newborn necessities for families in need during the Baby Shower Challenge. The infant supply drive was part of a competition with other Buncombe County Schools Family and Consumer Sciences classes. 

“I told my students if Reynolds won, and collected more than the other schools, they could cut my hair,” Kanelos said. “They did, so I kept my end of the bargain.” 

Kanelos had to wait to make good on the deal, though, until her hair grew a little longer. She wanted to donate to the organization Children With Hair Loss. The nonprofit provides custom hair pieces for children who’ve lost hair through cancer treatments or from severe burns. 

ACR teacher Kelly Kanelos gets haircut by student Franco Beltran-Chavez“It was a good lesson in empathy,” Kanelos shared. “I loved seeing my students excited every time our donation pile grew. Then, getting to teach them about the work of Children With Hair Loss showed them how they could help even more people.” 

Senior Franco Beltran-Chavez was selected to give Ms. Kanelos her haircut in front of the entire student body during A.C. Reynolds High School’s final pep rally of the school year.

Teacher Kelly Kanelos after her haircut