WORCESTER— Local barbers, nail technicians and hair braiders from Michelangelo’s Barbershop and Nails, a Worcester-based business deeply rooted in the community, visited Vernon Hill Elementary School on Monday.
And they brought their sheers with a mission: to boost confidence among fifth and sixth graders ahead of this week’s MCAS testing. The team provided complimentary services such as haircuts, manicures, and braiding, aiming to uplift the students and instill confidence, according to an announcement.
“Feeling good leads to doing good,” said Vernon Hill Principal Craig Dottin in a press release. “When we cultivate positive emotions within ourselves, we naturally extend that positivity to others through our actions and interactions. When we feel good about ourselves that positive energy is placed in everything we do.”
During the morning, students made their way to the school gymnasium, now a makeshift barber shop complete with music, magazines, and a cozy waiting area. As they settled into the barber’s chair, students had the freedom to request their desired haircut while chatting with community role models who had once walked the same hallways of Worcester Public Schools.
“It definitely brought a pleasant joy to my heart,” said Michael Angelo, owner of Michaelangelo’s Barbershop and Nails and a graduate of North High School, in the announcement. “Being a kid from the Worcester Public School system and knowing that there is a kid in the chair that is in a similar situation, knowing they can get a free haircut, look good, have confidence in themselves and walk into MCAS this week with their head up.
“It was good to allow them to tap into resources that we didn’t have at that age and it felt good on our end to see the smiles of those kids and seeing their self-esteem and confidence after.”
Send news releases to Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
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