Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Riley parts with her ponytail. (John Hobbs/Neon Tommy)

With that, the brigade of volunteer hairstylists grasped the neatly tied-back ponytails in front of them, pulled them taut and snipped them off.

It was all part of the inaugural event known as “Pony Up Serrania” that took place Friday morning at Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies Elementary School in Woodland Hills, Calif. Twenty parents, students and teachers took part and received certificates for their participation in helping to gather nearly 20 feet of hair, enough to create three wigs for those with cancer. 

“I’m so proud of you all,” said Principal Theresa Wedaa. “It’s such a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift to give to people with cancer.”

Wedaa explained the school’s participation in the event was inspired by Serrania having a number of teachers affected by cancer. “They all had long hair, so one thing led to another,” she said.

The real driving force behind it, though, was Yevette Peterson, a stay-at-home mother.

Peterson, 45, has battled breast cancer twice, first in 2007 and again in 2012. She discovered the first lump when her own mother was recovering from a mastectomy. 

Even though she’s been cancer-free for two years, Peterson said her life changed forever. 

“It taught me to really cherish every single day, even the hard ones,” she said. “It has also taught me and my family that if we stick together and lean on each other, we can get through anything.”

Peterson was able to share some of this first-person perspective at Friday’s event.

“When you are battling cancer and are really sick all the time, and look in the mirror and are bald, it’s hard,” she told the children gathered at the event. “It’s a constant reminder that you are sick.”

Seeing so many Serrania community members make such a big sacrifice to help those with cancer made a real impact on Peterson. “There just are no words,” she said, tears welling up. “For somebody going through cancer, there are some really, really dark days, but feeling love and kindness and care from people is more powerful than medicine.”

After the initial rough-shod snip, the participating parents, students and teachers were ushered off the schoolyard and indoors, where they were treated to a proper cut and blow-out.

For 6-year-old Yanina Price, it was her first haircut ever. As a stylist blowdried her daughter’s short new ‘do, Yanina’s mother, Kelly Ryland-Price, explained why her daughter chose to participate in the event. 

“My mom died from cancer last January,” Ryland-Price, 44, said. “So when Yanina came home and said she wanted to do this for her [grandmother], I said, ‘Go ahead and do it.’”

Mother-daughter duo Christine and Sofia Guerra contributed 17 inches of hair between them. Christine said she looks forward to using a lot less hair conditioner with her short new ‘do. (John Hobbs/Neon Tommy)

“Last night, we had a celebratory hair-washing, and we said, ‘Next time we wash our hair, we’ll be using a lot less conditioner,’” Guerra said, with a laugh. “Hopefully there will be a lot fewer tears and less tangles in the morning too.”

Guerra, 35, said she and her daughter participated because they both naturally have long hair, making it easy to donate. “When you can simply grow your hair out and help someone, it’s pretty easy to do,” she said. 

One of the youngest participants was kindergartener Lila Gold, who gave up nearly 10 inches of hair. 

“She wanted to do it because she wanted to help other people who had lost their hair and needed a wig,” explained her father Jeffrey Gold, associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Gold said he lost his father to lung cancer in the 1980s, and his wife’s mother died of cancer seven years ago. “So we were both affected by it,” he said. “We both introduced the idea [of helping those with cancer] to Lila, and she was really into it.” 

The gathered bags of hair will be sent to Children with Hair Loss and Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program, which has donated 24,000 real-hair wigs to the American Cancer Society since 2006.

While it might have felt good to donate to a worthy cause, Gold, a director of the Pediatric Pain Clinic at Children's Hospital L.A. who works with children with cancer, explained how beneficial a wig can be for someone with cancer — and not just cosmetically.

“They can feel so tired, so nauseous, and, on top of that, their appearance makes them stand out in a negative way,” he explained. “Being able to wear a wig helps their confidence, which I think has a really big impact on their health.”

Next up for Serrania Elementary is the Woodland Hills Relay for Life, a race and fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Last year, the school raised more than $3,000 for the cause. 

The cancer-related events are just a few of the school's many events that give back to the community. In other drives, they collect jeans for homeless shelters and Halloween costumes for the less fortunate.

Wedaa said the school hopes its charitable activities will teach children that giving “builds not only your sense of worth but also a sense of community, meaning someday when you need somebody to give to you, [other] people [might] give to you too.”

Reach Contributor John Hobbs here.