All gave some, one gave all. Maddison Sousa, Londonderry High School senior,
was among 185 ³Angels² to give her hair to patients who had lost their hair
battling cancer. While her fellow Angels all lovingly gave at least eight
inches of their locks, Sousa decided to give her all.
This year marked the 11th annual Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, and on
Friday morning, Jan. 6, hundreds of students gathered in the Londonderry
High School Gym to witness the Angels give their hair for a good cause. The
hair would be sent to ³Hair-U-Wear², a wig company that uses only real hair
to match color and length perfectly for their recipients.
Every Angel had her own great reason for giving, but for some, the subject
matter was a little closer to home.
LHS students Amanda Graf and Bethany Costello cut each other¹s ponytails in
solidarity. Graf had lost her father to a brain tumor when she was only
three years old, and Costello has a grandmother and uncle both battling
colon cancer. Costello had also donated as a freshman.
Sierra Sessa brought her cousin, named Dan, to witness her donation. While
serving in the Navy, Dan had found out he that had cancer. After surgery and
treatments, he completed college and fire academy training and then joined
the Boston Fire Department, and is now a part of the Naval Reserves.
Londonderry Freshman Olivia Galuzzo gave in memory of her father, who had
passed away from cancer a few months ago. Galuzzo had mentioned that her
father would lovingly tease her when she would cut her hair because he loved
her hair long. ³If he were still here, he would definitely tease me about
donating,² Galuzzo said. ³but I know in his heart he is truly proud of me
for wanting to help out a cancer patient, like he was.²
Some students donated as a way to lead by example. LHS senior Kaleigh Grant,
a first time donor, had been, in her words, ³attached² to her hair, and felt
that she could never donate. However, after seeing hundreds of others giving
their gifts, she decided that this year was her time to give. Her vision was
to inspire others who may be where she was, and to show them that they, too,
can make a difference.
Before the ceremonious cut, three people were given the Arthur Psaledas
Special Recognition Award, named for the Assistant Principal Psaledas¹s
creation of full-school assemblies at LHS. The award recognizes school
spirit and dedication to ³Lancer Nation.²
The first recipient was Julia DeFrietas, a former LHS student, who had gone
from a withdrawn freshman to a very dedicated senior helping with banners
and folding for Pantene Beautiful Lengths donors, along with being a donor
herself. DeFrietas currently provides transportation for adults with mental
disabilities and works with the youngest special needs students at South
School.
Her former aide, and Nutfield Publishing sports reporter Chris Pantazis,
also an LHS alumnus, presented the congratulatory rose to DeFrietas. After
he did so, he was instructed to remain on the floor as he, too, was
presented with the Special Regognition Award for his dedication to
Londonderry Sports. For over 25 years, Pantazis has covered thousands of
Londonderry athletic events.
The third and final recipient of this year¹s award went to Jerry Gulezian,
the voice of Lancer football on television and part-time employee of LHS.
Gulezian was recognized for his dedication to the students, and for the fact
that he ³doesn¹t do it for the money.²
Among the special guests at the event were the New Hampshire Program Manager
for the American Cancer Society, Katy Nowoswiat, and Senator Kelly Ayotte,
who had been the only political figure out of all of the politicians invited
from the state and federal offices to make an appearance at the tenth annual
Pantene Beautiful Lengths event.
After the ceremony, most of the students were brought downstairs to the
wrestling room, which had been temporarily retrofitted into a makeshift
salon, where professional stylists awaited to treat the Angels to a style of
their choice, a token of gratitude for their generosity.
Until next year, these generous contributions will certainly go Beautiful
Lengths.