Extreme hair-cuts raise nearly $12K for Austintown 4th-grader's cancer treatment

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown Intermediate School Principal Jeff Swavel and schools Superintendent Vincent Colaluca say their hair hasn’t been this short since their football playing days.

It’s so short now because the school district raised about $11,600 to help fourth-grader Emily Orlaski,10, and her family with her stage four kidney cancer, specifically Wilm’s tumor, which affects children.

Orlaski’s teacher, Amy Fitzgerald, also had her head shaved during a ceremony before the Youngstown State University baseball team took on Oakland at Eastwood Field Friday in Niles.

All 1,200 students of Austintown Intermediate School cheered on the YSU team after the hair-cutting, while Orlaski and Fitzgerald donned hats during the bright day with a cool breeze.

“I get [my hair] shortened in the summer, but not quite this short. Just hoping some of it grows back,” Swavel joked.

Read more about the event in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.