A bad hair day

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Sometimes, high school can be a little hairy.

Or, in Carson Benzinger's case, a little hairless.

"It just comes down to I love my school," the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy student body president said Tuesday. "I love Charter so much more than I ever thought I would."

So much does he love his school that he vowed to wax his legs if his peers raised $200 for student funds.

They did their part.

"I thought, 'Well, I can get my legs waxed.' I’m losing quite a bit of hair that way. Also it’s a bit painful. People like to see others in pain. It's part of our human behavior," he said with a grin.

He seemed calm and collected, looking sharp in a bowtie before the big event.

"I’m very nervous. I don't think in the beginning I thought it over as well,” he admitted. "I've had hundreds of women be like, 'You don’t know what you’re doing.'"

Carson, a Charter senior, marched into The Coeur d'Alene Resort Spa with his mom, Summer Benzinger, and Charter Assistant Vice Principal Aaron Lippy. Carson changed into shorts to reveal his temporarily hairy legs, which he bent down and rubbed in anticipation.

"I can't wait to hear it," Lippy said with a smile that hinted at sympathy for what this brave student was about to do.

Carson was led to a quiet room where a friendly spa esthetician applied warm wax to his legs, pressed on the strip and let ’er rip.

"Oh it burns! Oh my gosh!" Carson said, grimacing through the pain as Lippy held up the hair-covered strip. "I was not expecting that."

He leaned back to prepare for leg No. 2: wax, strip, rip.

"That hurts more than the first one!"

He flinched at the burning across his shins.

"I take back everything I said in the interview, I take this back wholeheartedly!" he exclaimed.

"I might go to the ER after this."

He'll have to wait, but he will get the hair back eventually. Carson said the whole thing came about because last year during the Wreck Your Rep student fundraising program, he cut off his man bun when he motivated his junior class to raise the most money. The funds are used for student functions like dances and social events.

"I want to show that, 'See, we can have fun,'" he said. "We can put our efforts toward beneficial things, but also do it in a fun way that makes people laugh and will hopefully encourage them to donate next year."

Lippy said the show of courage is a great display of dedication.

"It shows commitment," he said. "Definitely Carson's committed to the quality of Charter."

His mom said she's very proud of her son.

"He's somebody the other students look up to, and I've seen him really grow over the years in his commitment," she said. "He's somebody who has these great ideas and he goes somewhere with them."

Once the pain subsided, Carson was able to think a little more clearly.

"I feel proud," he said. "My legs definitely tingle and it hurts, but it's for a good cause, and I'm proud I did this."