Tenn. student bullied for homemade t-shirt gets a design put on university gear

by: CNN and John Lynch

Posted: Sep 9, 2019 / 01:50 PM EDT / Updated: Sep 9, 2019 / 01:50 PM EDT

(CNN) – The University of Tennessee has turned a child’s homemade t-shirt into official apparel.

It’s an exact replica of a Florida boy’s hand-sketched design that was reportedly laughed at by some of his classmates.

“College Colors Day” was coming at Altamonte Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, and the boy wanted to show his support for the University of Tennessee but didn’t have any apparel. So, he drew the U.T. logo on a piece of paper and pinned it to an orange t-shirt.

His teacher, Laura Snyder, said he was so excited to wear it.

But when “College Colors Day” came around, the boy was laughed at during lunch.

“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 hopes of raising his spirits, Snyder said she planned on buying him an official University of Tennessee T-shirt and asked friends if they had contacts with the school who could “make it a little extra special for him.”

By Thursday, her Facebook post had gone viral among Vols fans, and the university sent the student a box full of U.T. swag.

Friday, the school announced it would add the boy’s own design to its t-shirt line. A portion of the proceeds from each shirt will be donated to the organization ‘stomp out bullying’.