Fourth grader Clinton Walker was willing to take a seat in the barber’s chair as long as they didn’t cut off his dreads. The chance for a free haircut was too good to pass up, but all he wanted was a fresh line.

Walker was one of more than 50 students to receive a free hair cut at Vicksburg Intermediate School Wednesday courtesy of barbers from Headquarters Barber and Beauty.

“I think they look good,” Walker said of the haircuts. “They cut hair good. I am just going to get myself a fresh line. They look good and I can get a good one too. I just don’t want to get my dreads cut off. I am going to feel great, because they are giving me a new haircut and it’s free.”

Six barbers from the shop came to the school Wednesday morning and provided students with haircuts as part of their ongoing commitment to give back to the community.

Geno Williams said this is the first time they have gone out into the community, but they periodically have free haircuts and food and toy giveaways at the shop.

“It brings a smile to the children’s face,” Williams said. “They are taking tests and different things all week so we wanted to bring a smile and uplift them. A haircut is like medicine. Anybody feeling down, a haircut makes them feel better.”

The effect on the kids was immediate. As soon as the clippers started buzzing and the hair started falling, their faces lit up into smiles. They filed in one after another in a constant stream of willing patrons looking for a break from the school day, even if just for a few minutes.

“It is a good thing because I have never gotten a haircut at school and I want to see how it feels to get a haircut at school,” fourth grader Jacorian Patterson said. “I think it is going to feel good because the barbers look like they can really cut hair.”

For the barbers the simple gesture of a quick trim was part of their goal of being more than just barbers, but also role models for the next generation.

“They look up to us,” barber Troy Truly said. “Some kids, their father may not be present and there may not be a male figure in their life so sometimes they need somebody to talk to or lead them in the right direction.”

The smiles never left the kids faces as the blue aprons were removed from their shoulders and they stood up from the chair with a fresh cut.

“It was cool because you’re getting a haircut at school,” Darius White said.