Novembeard: Neirad Article

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The origin of the beard dates back to the caveman era, where our Neanderthal brethren forged the way for facial hair. The tradition continues today in the form of NovemBeard. Beards at the high school level are met with mixed responses. Some say they look good, while others would care to strongly disagree. However, the recent craze sweeping the nation has mercilessly thrust all doubters aside.

Senior Will Canning states, “NovemBeard is a great cause because it is a test of fortitude and mental toughness. It allows us to go back to our roots.”

The rules of NovemBeard, as outlined by Novembeard.com, are simple:

You must start out clean-shaven.
No shaving for the entire month of November, except to trim.

Senior Jake Seymour is one of the founding members of NovemBeard. It has been said that he was the first to bring NovemBeard to DHS.

“It was initially a college thing that started around two years ago,” Seymour said. “I was originally calling it Beardvember back in October. This is around the same time that NovemBeard signs started going up, so the true origin is still being disputed.”

Throughout the month of November, Seymour has been documenting the progress of his NovemBeard via his Facebook page. Each day, he takes a photo of his beard and a piece of paper that indicates the date.

“It’s always good to see potential growth,” said Seymour.

A look back through the history of NovemBeard produced some results that unearth more about the month. An entry submitted to urbandictionary.com in early 2006 called it No Shave November. The definition on the site stated: “The month of November in which you don't shave any hair of your body but instead you grow more bestial, brutish, and manly.” The entry is the earliest known written document containing evidence about the origin of NovemBeard.

Today, No Shave November is led by a Facebook group of the same name. The organization boasts over 7,000 members. Considering the group had only 2,000 plus members last year, the leap in popularity is evident.

The idea of NovemBeard sparked the imaginations of many charities and funds across the nation, ranging from metal concerts for cancer, to pledge sites for the Save Darfur movements. Though the ideas were not original, it is still good to know that the celebration of manliness is for a good cause. However, at DHS, there are no charity drives or fundraising attached to NovemBeard. The sole cause of the brotherhood is to create rugged, manly beards.

The only problem with students in high school growing beards is that many are not old enough to grow a truly full one. This is why it is not just students that are taking part in the NovemBeard celebration. Teachers like Mr. Patrick Egan and Mr. Eric Woelker have both sprouted beards of their own.

“My beard is inspired by Chuck Norris,” said Mr. Woelker. “I am hoping that my beard achieves a new standard of beardom by the end of this beardtastic month.”

The total number of students participating in NovemBeard exceeds 40 people, none of whom shaved for the entire month of November. These people are deserving of the highest level of respect. They fought through the hardships and heavy responsibilities that come along with a beard and emerged as follicular heroes.

The only visible problem, some were quick to point out, was the fact that the majority of the largely populated sophomore and freshmen classes were not able to participate in the beardrific festivities. This was the main idea behind the underground movement of Novemstache. Sophomore Ashwin Basu was the founding member of the group.

“Although Novemstache is not quite as much as an honor as being part of the NovemBeard brotherhood, I felt it was necessary to create a following for younger members who do not have enough facial hair to grow a beard,” said Basu of his noble cause.

Both moustaches and beards alike are reason for celebration within the DHS community. No event in recent memory has united the school in such a unique and awesome way. There was no distinction between class or age in this festival of manliness. There was only a strong feeling of togetherness working towards a common goal: growing a NovemBeard.

pavia&egan