University of Tennessee marching band wears shirts with design made by bullied fan
The University of Tennessee’s marching band wore shirts on Saturday with a design created by an elementary student who was bullied over the artwork.
The Pride of the Southland Band tweeted out a photo of members wearing the shirts at a home game against Chattanooga.
Thank you Chancellor @DondePlowman for providing the shirts for the Pride today! Proud to support a young Vol fan and a great cause! Go Vols! #antibullying pic.twitter.com/2LuPgT2mde
— UT Bands (@potsband) September 14, 2019
The move pays homage to a young fan who was recently teased over a t-shirt he created supporting the university to celebrate “College Colors Day” at his school.
The moment got viral attention after Laura Snyder, one of the boy’s teachers at Altamonte Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, Fla., detailed the incident in a post on Facebook that also featured photos of the shirt.
The original shirt was orange and had a paper attached to it with the letters “U.T.” drawn on it.
“Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn’t even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt. He was DEVASTATED,” Snyder said in the post.
After the post, which has since gone on to rack up thousands of likes and shares on Facebook, went viral earlier this month, the University of Tennessee adopted his design into an official logo.
The university also offered the boy a four-year scholarship.
“In recognition of the fourth-grader’s Volunteer spirit, the university has extended an offer of honorary admission for him to join the Class of 2032,” the university said in its announcement.
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