From buzzing parking-lot mohawks in high school to barbering for his friends’ wedding proposals, English teacher and head track coach Cale Kavanaugh keeps a secret, unexpected talent: haircutting.
Kavanaugh first developed his interest in haircutting after working to fix his poorly cut salon mohawk that he got for a high school track event. As more people discovered his talent, Kavanaugh would soon build a loyal client base for his impromptu cuts throughout high school and college.
“It was interesting to see things progress because it wasn’t like I had an overhead salon,” Kavanaugh said. “I’m cutting your hair in my parents’ garage or sometimes I would go to them and cut their hair at their house. I cut people’s hair in parking lots and did all kinds of crazy college kid things. I never raised my prices from $10, but word spread and some people just paid more. It paid for my car and all my gas.”
On a trip with his church in college, he was offered the opportunity to shadow a hairdresser and furthered his technique more professionally. As his focus turned to teaching, haircutting became less of a priority. However, Kavanaugh said that he still enjoys the conversation and closeness that haircutting brings to his relationships.
“It’s a really great way to connect with people, especially with a lot of friendships between guys,” Kavanaugh said. “We don’t necessarily always sit down, like, ‘Hey, what are you feeling?’ You don’t have some of those deeper conversations regularly. But in this space, it’s a really disarming way to have real conversation, and I got to have a lot of meaningful conversations with people in very significant seasons of life. [They could] feel that the space was one where they could talk and share as much as they wanted. Cutting hair was the root of that.”
Throughout his haircutting experience, friends have also come to Kavanaugh for important events such as proposals and weddings.
“I’m proud when I see some of my friends’ wedding photos because they are significant moments,” Kavanaugh said. “It’s a cool thing to [know] they trusted me to have such a big impact on what they look like in the significant moments they’re trying to capture. That’s a huge privilege that I’m really proud of.”
Haircutting is still a hobby that he maintains frequently for family and friends, according to Kavanaugh. In the near future, Kavanaugh is excited for the day that he will be able to utilize his long-standing talent to cut his son’s hair.
“I’m excited to continue learning new styles— just learning more about them, watching YouTube videos and figuring out how to be able to [cut them],” Kavanaugh said. “My son, he’s a year old, they make hair clippers that are specifically for toddlers, and so I’m excited to buy those and cut his hair and just keep having fun with haircutting.”
