After the final bell at Rufus King International High School, teachers are trading lesson plans for lineups
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - At Rufus King International High School, something special is happening after the final bell rings. It’s not a sport, or a study group, or even a rehearsal. It’s a pair of English teachers picking up clippers and giving students a fresh cut and a fresh boost of confidence.
Inside Room 310, desks slide to the side after dismissal. In just a few minutes, the classroom transforms into a barbershop called “The Shop 310.”
It all started a couple years ago with a simple question from English teacher Cameron LeFlore.
The Shop 310 at Rufus King International High School
“I asked a few of them, do you want a free cut?” LeFlore said. “They were like it’s not bad and told me to make a club and I decided to do that.”
Word quickly spread through the hallways. What began as a small act of kindness soon became a steady routine especially after fellow English teacher Emmanuel Johnson found out.
“LeFlore showed me pictures of his haircuts he was doing and I was like wow, I cut hair too,” Johnson said. “He said I've been cutting hair, you’ve been cutting hair, we should start the shop next year coming in and I’m like yeah bet.”
Now, as of this school year, The Shop 310 is an official after-school club, open Mondays and Fridays at 3:30. No appointments. No transportation worries. And no cost.
“For free,” Johnson said. “That’s my favorite four letter word in the alphabet."
LeFlore said the savings can add up for families.
“If you start as a freshman and you go all the way to senior year you’ve saved hundreds, probably thousands of dollars if you just come and stay after school with us,” he said. “We like being able to help families with one less expense.”
For sophomore Malik Lafond, the impact goes beyond the price tag.
“I was like that’s great,” Malik said. “Kids can get haircuts for important things. Some kids have job interviews or applying to jobs because they need money so they want to look professional.”
He said every visit to the chair comes with a boost.
“Whenever I get a haircut it always gives me a confidence boost. I feel great,” Malik said. “It’s nice to talk to people when I’m getting my haircut.”
That conversation, that connection, is part of the mission.
“It feels good knowing that I’m passing that knowledge down and helping somebody find their own path in life while getting a free service,” Johnson said.
LeFlore said for students who stop by every couple of weeks, it becomes part of their routine.
“Every week or every two weeks we have a few kids to come in that often and I tell them that’s helpful for them because that’ll become a part of their norm,” he said. “When I was growing up I had a haircut every two weeks so it’s been nice to give that back.”
The Shop 310 at Rufus King International High School
Since the club began, LeFlore said they’ve cut hair for hundreds of students.
“As far as kids we’ve cut total since we first started, it’s been a few hundred,” he said.
Johnson said the example they’re setting matters just as much as the haircuts themselves.
“It’s a great thing for the kids to see,” he said. “They see two young black men come together take this thought and make it a real thing and have an actual real life impact and it’s beautiful that they can see that.”
LeFlore admits they’re not professionals, but he said they take pride in every cut.
“Now are we professional, no, but we do take our time and we have been cutting for a while and we take pride in our work,” he said.
Malik agrees.
“The cut’s amazing, I mean look at it,” he said. “It’s good.”
In a classroom turned barbershop, a pair of clippers is doing more than shaping hairlines.
At Rufus King, The Shop 310 is shaping confidence, community, and a reminder that even after the bell rings, someone is still looking out for you.
