Teachers Grow Mustaches to Raise Awareness

A group of male teachers at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School of Alexandria spared the razor in November and grew mustaches to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other health issues.

The middle school faculty members participated in “Movember, an annual, month-long event to raise awareness," said school spokeswoman Linda Stratton.

“A number of the middle school male faculty member decided to take part in Movember, so they all grew out mustaches, and a few did some goatees, during the month of November to raise awareness about prostate cancer and other men’s health issues,” Stratton said. “It’s just something they decided to do as a group, raise awareness about those issues.”

Seventh-grade history teacher Jon Japha participated and grew what he called “the worst” mustache. Although he shaved it for a wedding Dec. 1, he still enjoyed the activity.

“It’s something that I’ve had some friends do in past years, and I thought, in addition to the good part of raising money and awareness for men’s health issues, which I don’t think get talked about enough, it was a good way to have some bonding with the male faculty of the school,” he said.

The men posted a photo of their mustaches to the school’s Facebook page.