Photos by JOHN W. ADKISSON l The Roanoke Times

Scott Harriman, 17, has his freshly trimmed head rubbed by his mother, Marilyn Harriman, (left) and neighbor Mitzi Martin after participating in the Knights Morning Buzz fundraiser on Thursday morning at Cave Spring High School.

Greg Mackey, 18, (center) a senior at Cave Spring High School, helped organize the Knights Morning Buzz fundraiser to benefit Susan Kern, a teacher at Back Creek Elementary School who has breast cancer.

Ainslee Hicks' teacher is sick. She hasn't been at school for a couple of months, but Wednesday she came for a short visit.

Ainslee and her classmates couldn't hug Susan Kern, but Ainslee was so excited just to see her first-grade teacher that she couldn't stop talking about the visit at home that night.

The very next day, Ainslee's dad, Billy Hicks -- the state championship winning basketball coach at Cave Spring High School -- sat down in the school's gymnasium to get a haircut as part of the second annual Knights Morning Buzz -- Buzzing for a Change fundraiser.

Thursday morning, before the first bell rang at 8:25 a.m., more than 80 students, teachers, coaches and community members got $10 haircuts to benefit Kern, who is fighting breast cancer.

Last year, the Cave Spring Student Council Association -- led by former President David Kaplan -- held a similar fundraiser and donated $1,200 to the American Cancer Society.

"This day last year," Kaplan said, "was the best day of my high school career."

Rallying together

This year, cancer hit close to home. Kern, a longtime Back Creek Elementary School teacher, taught many current Cave Spring students. In addition, two of her three children attended the school and her son played basketball for Hicks, who suggested this year's fundraiser benefit Kern.

"When she got sick, we wanted to do something for her," Hicks said of the woman who has taught all four of his children. "She's just such a huge part of the community."

On most mornings, it's tough getting high schoolers awake in time for first period, but dozens woke up extra early Thursday and were standing in line for a haircut before 7:30 a.m.

"The thing about cancer is that it has affected almost everyone in this room -- in this school," said Hicks. "I think it's important for kids to rally behind a cause."

And rally they did. The SCA -- this year led by Cave Spring senior Greg Mackey -- and the Cave Spring community raised almost $1,500 in less than two hours.

"I think it tells a lot about our school that so many kids are here," said Mackey, who used the social networking site Facebook to invite more than 800 of his schoolmates to the fundraiser.

Kaplan, who is in Roanoke this summer while on vacation from Syracuse University, agreed. "Whenever you can get this many students to come out before school," he said, "I think it's really a testament to the strength of our community."

A community effort

By the time the majority of the sleepy-eyed students stumbled into the brightly lit gymnasium, 12th-grader Chelsea Patton had been at school for almost two hours.

Patton, a licensed hairdresser who works about 35 hours at Shear Perfection Salon, was not there to donate money, but to donate time.

She has been studying her trade for more than three years and when she found out about the Knights Morning Buzz last year, she jumped at the chance to help. "It's definitely for a really great cause, even if it requires you to get out of bed a little early," she said.

Patton went to Back Creek Elementary, so she was even more eager to help raise money this year.

"I got all these ladies here today," she said, proudly nodding toward the five other stylists -- including her mom, a stylist at Country Hair Saloon -- who were busily cutting hair.

It was hard to keep track, but Patton is pretty sure she did at least 15 haircuts in about an hour -- more than she would do in a full day at Shear Perfection.

One of her clients was 6-year-old Joshua Earls, a kindergartner at Penn Forest Elementary School.

His mom, Susanne Earls, said she was planning to take him to the barber anyway, but when she heard about Knight's Morning Buzz, she took Joshua and his sister Sarah straight to the high school instead.

"It's a good cause, and honestly, I would want someone to do this for me," Earls said.Joshua, who has a friend in Kern's class at Back Creek, was fairly satisfied with his haircut -- there was only one minor issue.

"I usually have a boy do it," he said.

In addition to Patton and the other stylists, the gym was full of volunteers.

Famous Anthony's came to the school armed with hundreds of biscuits and gallons of coffee, and radio station WJJS sent morning DJ Nicky and two huge speakers to blast music for the early morning do-gooders.

Cave Spring SCA adviser Ann Rutherford said there were many reasons the teens showed up for the fundraiser but felt like the underlying cause was to support Kern, a member of the Cave Spring "family."

"We've got music, we've got the free food, but it makes me really happy to see so many [teens] here," Rutherford said. "I really believe that if you give students the opportunity to do something good, they will."