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Rayhawk Hairstyle Strikes Out With School In Palmetto

News Channel 8 photo by JIM HOCKETT

Zachary Sharples says he's been a fan of the Rays since the team started, when he was 2 years old.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

TAMPA - At 12 years old, Zachary Sharples is a lifelong Tampa Bay Rays fan.

"I've been a Rays fan since they started playing," he said. "I went to the second game in Rays' history with my mom. I was 2. My dad went to the first game."

His zeal for the team and the fact that they are in the playoffs for the first time got the best of him Sunday. After the Rays beat the Chicago White Sox to advance to the American League Championship Series, he, his father and his 4-year-old brother trucked to the barber shop and all got Mohawks.

That proved his undoing when he showed up for class at Lincoln Middle School in Palmetto in Manatee County on Monday: He was summarily dumped into an in-school suspension for violating the dress-code.

"I was in the gym, waiting for the bell to ring, and the principal came up to me and said we are not allowed to have mohawks in school," Zachary said today.

The principal brought him to the guidance office, and the counselor confided in Zachary that she too was a Rays fan, but that mohawks violate school policy and Zach had to pay the price.

"I had to go into something called camp," he said. "It was one room, the whole day and I couldn't do anything. I just had to sit there."

Lincoln Middle Principal Curtis Davis could not be reached for comment.

Mohawks are stylish in the Bay area now because several Rays players have them and word is the style has brought them luck at the end of the season. A barber in Town 'N Country has offered to give free mohawk haircuts until the Rays lose or win out.

The style didn't fly at Lincoln Middle School, Zachary said, even though the night before he washed out the blue dye. He knew the blue would cause problems, but he didn't think the style itself violated anything. He said he has never been in trouble before, but he has resolved to keep the style.

"I'm not shaving it off until they win the World Series," he said.

He stayed home from school Tuesday and today and likely won't go back to Lincoln again, he said. He's moving to St. Petersburg this week and will attend either Tyrone Middle School or Azalea Middle School. His parents plan to see whether the haircut violates any policies.

Zachary's father, Kevin Pennington, said his whole family backs the Rays. They have season tickets and playoff tickets and will be attending games Friday and Saturday. There's nothing wrong with supporting the team, even if it calls for a little craziness, he said. And Zachary is just a kid who loves his home team.

"He got a little caught up in things, watching the news and all the people getting haircuts," Pennington said. "Kids love different things and he wanted to get one.

"We never even thought school would have an issue with it because everyone else has them," he said.

The policy was to ban "offensive hair or offensive hair color," he said. "I don't know who makes the decision of what is offensive hair."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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