Students' fund-raising success to dye for

Friday morning, Jefferson Elementary principal Mark Cook was hoping that the results of his school's latest fund-raising effort would all come out in the wash.

As an incentive for students to sell more Parent Teacher Association fund-raising coupon books, Cook agreed to dye his hair tiger orange to match the Cape Girardeau school's mascot if this year's fund raising exceeded last year's total.

Students had warned him to expect a change, he said.

"Kindergartners have been coming up to me and saying, 'Your hair is going to turn orange. I'm selling a lot of books!'"

In a two-week selling period, Jefferson students collected $4,500 for the school, slightly above last year's total. The money raised this year will fund murals in the cafeteria.

Cook greeted students as they came to school and also visited each classroom to make sure all the children saw his new hairdo. Many students raised their hands when Cook asked who else would like orange hair. One requested pink.

Some didn't know whether to believe him or not when he told them he simply woke up with orange hair because they raised so much money.

At 300, the school's enrollment is down about 125 since the school lost its fifth- and sixth-graders to a newly created middle school.

"We thought losing all those students would hurt our fund raising," Cook said, "but those kindergartners and other little ones can really sell."