The Medford School District will host a back-to-school party for students and their families on Wednesday
Tara Short, owner of Short Kutz Barber Shop & Salon, cuts Nate Short’s hair Thursday in Medford. Short and his staff will be offering free haircuts from 3 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Jackson Elementary School, 713 Summit Ave., Medford, as part of the Healthy Start Block Party. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Waiting on a couch Thursday at Short Kutz in downtown Medford, Nate Short didn’t wait long for his turn in the barber’s chair, where his mother, Tara Short, cut his long, curly brown locks.
The reason for the stylish new makeover was to help the North Medford High School sophomore have the best weather for the first day of school on Aug. 29.
“I said ‘look good, feel good, play good’ – I’ve been that way all my life,” Nate said.
While he admits the start of a new school year can be intimidating, a new haircut certainly helps the situation.
“If you look better than you usually do, you feel better than you usually do,” Nate said.
Nate was just one of several customers last week getting a haircut at his mom’s downtown barbershop, which will be cutting students’ hair from 3 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Jackson Elementary School, 713 Summit Ave. , Medford.
It’s all part of the “Healthy Start Block Party,” a partnership between the Medford School District, Jackson Care Connect and more than 30 other community organizations.
While the district is helping lead the event, it will not limit attendance to just families in the Medford School District.
“In the Medford School District, we have our shared vision that everyone is learning and learning is for everyone,” said Natalie Hurd, director of communications and community engagement for the district. “We know that students learn best when they come to us prepared for the day.”
Hurd noted that it was actually Jackson Care Connect officials who approached the district and proposed the block party event, which JCC Community Health Manager Samantha Watson confirmed.
“We wanted to create an event to help families meet many of their health needs in one place,” he said. “So we reached out to (the) Medford School District to see if they might be interested in collaborating on a back-to-school event where we could have these services for people and have partners from the community to help people connect to resources and information.”
The event will include “child health checks,” dental exams, haircuts and more.
“We know that parents or caregivers can often work late into the day or have jobs with non-traditional hours, so we felt it was very important to provide a designated time where they can access all of these services in just one place.” Watson said. “It’s really a time saver for people.”
Haircuts, in particular, are an important part of preparing for a new school and can be something that is out of reach for many local families, he added.
Tara Short, who has been a licensed stylist for seven years, said her willingness to participate in next week’s event is because she was homeless during her youth and couldn’t afford things like haircuts. hair
“Now that I’m an adult and have the ability to give back, I like it,” Short said. “I don’t think it’s worth making a lot of money if you’re not willing to give back what you started, and I started with nothing.”
He added that Short Kutz staff will be available Wednesday to cut children’s hair, as part of an annual commitment its employees make to give back to their community.
But Short Kutz won’t be the only one represented at the block party. Other entities include Rogue Community Health, La Clinica, Medford Police Department, Jackson County Library Services, Rogue Valley Family YMCA and Rogue Valley Transportation District.
The Medford School District and Jackson Care Connect are also looking to make the event fun, in keeping with the name, “block party.” Snoball Donuts, CABA Empanadas and Sultan’s Delight are expected to be some of the food trucks in attendance. Students will also have the opportunity to play and win prizes.
“We think we want families to come,” Hurd said. “Everyone loves our local food trucks, so there are some fun pieces.”
Watson, who has two children, acknowledged that the first day of school is an exciting but also stressful time not only for students, but also for parents and guardians.
“That first day can be a little scary; it is a change for the people; it’s a brand new thing,” he said. “We want to give kids and their families the best possible start, so they don’t have to worry about whether or not they’re getting a haircut or whether they have all the supplies they need to be successful “.
Contact reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.
