To beard, or not to beard? That is the question.

Growing the most facial hair while raising funds for breast cancer is now a reality.

The “No-Shave November” competition, organized by Student Council, encourages teachers and students to grow out their ‘staches and goatees for a good cause.

There is no entry fee, and so the money collected through the donations of the participants goes to “Laidley’s Ladies,” a foundation that raises funds for breast cancer research.

Randall Sloan, senior student body president, organized the contest and said the cause had a personal appeal to him and the rest of the StuCo officers.

“Kate [Whitley’s] mom is a survivor of breast cancer,” Sloan said. “[Kate is] our student body public relations officer. And my aunt was affected by breast cancer [also], so we have a real big touch for this. We wanted to do more breast cancer stuff in October but we just never got the chance because homecoming got crazy.”

The contestants were required to get a clean shave and submit a picture in order to enter and show their progress throughout the month.

Senior Matthew McDougal said he is participating because he doesn’t “really like shaving anyway.”

“Why not?” McDougal said. “If it’s for a cause then why not do it?”

Senior competitor Johnathan Noeske is confident about winning.

“Someone was bugging me a lot to join because I can grow facial hair really fast,” Noeske said. “The longest I’ve grown [my beard] for was a half a year, like two inches long. I joined two weeks late and I shaved on the 23rd, and I already feel like I’m beating four people.”

German teacher Mark Grubb is feeling the work of his follicles.

“I haven’t probably had a beard in like twenty years,” Grubb said. “It’s itchy. It doesn’t bother me now as much, but like the first two weeks, [it] really did.”

The ladies have mixed opinions on the appeal of facial do’s.

Junior Autumn Garvin is not a fan of the fuzz.

“The thought of it makes me itch,” Garvin said. “No, not [attractive] at all. Not to me. I think it’d bother me so much.”

Senior Shillu Kurien, however, finds some manliness and charm in beards.

“I think it’s attractive,” Kurien said. “If it’s cleaned up, not like, hair everywhere. Like you have to shape it up, you have to go to the barber and get it [styled].”

Coronation for the two categories, “fancy beard,” and “caveman,” is scheduled for Friday Dec. 2. The winners will get a symbolic certificate of manliness.