One man, no beard: Douglas Elementary students in Princeton raise over $3,000 for beloved custodian’s beard

PRINCETON — The anticipation grew all month long at Douglas Elementary School in Princeton.

The Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms began a friendly competition on May 3 to see which one could raise the most money for the Bureau County Food Pantry by May 26 and get the chance to shave their beloved custodian, Mr. Bob’s, beard.

The fundraiser took off quick. In just one week, students raised $867.24. Week 2 brought in another $782.83. Week 3′s collection totaled $611.59 and Week 4 ended with $735.87.

Bob Espel, among all the teachers and staff at Douglas, were floored each week as the dollars and change just rolled in from students. Espel said he figured his beard would raise “maybe a couple hundred dollars.” Never did he imagine the fundraiser going over $3,000.

On May 26, it was announced that students had raised a total of $3,124 over four weeks, which actually amounts to a total donation value of $31,240 to the food pantry.

Bureau County Food Pantry Director Vanessa Hoffeditz said for every $1 raised, she is able to purchase $10 worth of food through the area foodbank.

Espel is a popular face among the students at Douglas. He’s known as the school “rock star.” The students just perk up when he’s around and they’re always up for his high fives. Mr. Bob is also known for his hairy face. It’s been two years since Espel’s beard has seen a trim. He said when COVID started, he continued growing his beard with the idea that he wouldn’t shave until things got figured out with all the new restrictions, guidelines and whatnot.

“It was sort of a protest,” he said.

Throughout the last year, students and teachers have frequently asked him about the beard and wondered if he’d ever shave it off.

Finally, one day, when asked by Ginger Barnes, a Douglas School paraprofessional, when they’d see his face again, Espel finally promised that if money could be raised for a good cause, he’d shave the beard. Barnes said that’s when she realized they had a “money-maker” on their hands and she came up with the idea that the classrooms compete to see who could raise the most for a good cause, and what better cause than the local food pantry.

The plan was whichever class raised the most money would get a chance at shaving Mr. Bob’s beard. The class that came in second place, would get to pie Mr. Bob in the face.

When the plan was relayed to students, they went home and cleaned out change in every nook and cranny of parents’ and guardians’ homes, vehicles and beyond for Mr. Bob’s beard. By the end of the competition, it was noted that every student in the school had brought in at least one penny they had collected or found for Mr. Bob’s shave.

Finally, the big announcement took place this week to see which classroom had raised the most. Linda Strawbridge’s kindergarten class raked in the most donations, while Paula Anderson’s kindergarten class came in second.

On Thursday, May 27, before the “big shave” went down on the playground area of Douglas School, Espel joked that he thought more kids were hoping to take second place so that they could pie him in the face.

Around 9 a.m. sharp, students were escorted to the playground with signs and banners in hand as they chanted “Mr. Bob.” Some of the signs read, “We love Mr. Bob,” while others had pictures depicting before and after photos of what they thought Mr. Bob would look like without his beard, others had “shave that beard” written on them and even one sign had the word “beard” written across it with a big “X” through the middle.

The students cheered loudly when Mr. Bob walked to center stage in the playground area and took off his mask to reveal his long, shaggy beard.

Principal Lynette Bima pranked the students as she pulled out garden shears and joked that those were the scissors she’d brought that day to cut the beard.

The students of Strawbridge’s class lined up as each one got to trim a piece of Espel’s beard. Once every student had a chance, the razors were brought out and Barnes got the privileged of shaving the rest of Espel’s beard.

It was quite the sight to see for the kids as they laughed and cheered during the shave. Even the teachers looked on with shock as a new Mr. Bob was appearing right before their eyes — one with a much smoother, cleaner-looking face.

But it didn’t stay clean for long, because then Anderson’s class got up and made a giant Reddi-wip pie on a piece of cardboard, complete with cherries on top, which they smeared in Espel’s face. The crowd went crazy. Espel sat laughing as he licked the whipped cream from his fingers and lips.

Bima asked the students, “Do we like him better with a beard or a pie?” The students laughed and yelled back, “PIE.”

After the excitement had seized and the show was over, the kids cleared the playground, and Espel was left with only three words to describe the experience, “That was awesome,” he said.

His one hope for the fundraiser, beside being able to support a good cause, was that it would end the school year on a positive note, and it seemed he accomplished just that.

Teachers and staff are already kicking around the idea of making this an annual event with Mr. Bob to continue raising money for good community causes.

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Douglas School, Kindergartner Isla Fox, reacts as custodian Bob Espel gets hit with a pie to the face at the school in Princeton on Thursday May 27, 2021. (Scott Anderson)