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Bullied Over Homemade T-Shirt, Kid Inspires U Of Tennessee Design

After a Florida fourth-grader is bullied over his homemade University of Tennessee Vols spirit tee-shirt, the university adopts his design.

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The University of Tennessee has taken tens of thousands of orders for a tee-shirt based on a Florida fourth-grader's homemade design. He was bullied over it, and the world is responding in no uncertain terms that’s not OK.
The University of Tennessee has taken tens of thousands of orders for a tee-shirt based on a Florida fourth-grader's homemade design. He was bullied over it, and the world is responding in no uncertain terms that’s not OK. (Photo courtesy of VolShop)

When a fourth-grader from Altamonte Springs, Florida, made his own University of Tennessee tee-shirt, he was just trying to support a favorite team. As it turned out, he — and his art work — got the support of his school, the university a couple of states away and then some after bullies made fun of his homemade shirt.

It started when the student confided to his teacher, Laura Snyder, that many was tight at his house. He wanted to support the University of Tennessee Volunteers on "college colors day" at his school. Put another way, he wanted to "belong," just like every other kid. But he couldn't afford the pricey merchandise.

Snyder and the student put their heads together, coming up with a plan for him to show the UT colors by wearing an orange tee-shirt. He updated Snyder on his progress on the shirt every day and was excited to show it off on college colors day. Snyder was impressed that he took his design further and pinned a team logo to the shirt.

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What his peers did left him “DEVASTATED.” Snyder wrote the word in all-caps for emphasis.

“After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on his desk and was crying,” she wrote. “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.

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“I know kids can be cruel. I am aware that it’s not the fanciest sign,” she wrote, again putting on her cap lock, “BUT this kid used the resources he had available to him to participate in spirit day. …”

Snyder wrote that she planned to get the student a Vols shirt, but wondered if any of her social media friends had any connections with the University of Tennessee “to make it a little extra special for him.”

The stand-up for this kid — from ordinary people who offered to buy Vols gear to the University of Tennessee, which is using his homemade design in official Vols merchandise — is epic. If the kids who bullied this fourth-grader don’t hear the resounding thud of their mean-girls joke on the stage of a world increasingly turned away by that kind of behavior, they’re not paying nearly close enough attention.

What they did was not OK. Those commenting left no room for interpretation on that.

So far, the VolShop has taken orders on at least 16,000 Vols tee-shirts produced with the student’s design, ESPN reported. Proceeds go to STOMP Out Bullying, a national anti-bullying advocacy group.

“As the Volunteers, the University of Tennessee believes in putting others before ourselves,” Tyra Haag, UT’s director of media relations, told ESPN. “We're so glad we were able to support this student, put a smile on his face and bring more orange into his life. In the true spirit of UT, alumni, fans and honorary Volunteers around the world have stepped up.”

A care package of swag from the University of Tennessee arrived at the student’s elementary school last week.

“I’m not even sure I can put into words his reaction,” Snyder wrote on her Facebook page. “It was so heartwarming. My student was so amazed at all the goodies in the box. He proudly put on the jersey and one of the many hats in the box.

“All who saw had either goosebumps or tears while we explained that he had inspired and touched the lives of so many people. When I told him that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped. He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew today!”

The university’s generosity also had a profound effect on his classmates, who gave him high-fives, hugs and pats on the back as he passed out Vols water bottles, bracelets and other swag.

“This experience is uniting my class even more than I could have imagined, and it was truly amazing to witness!,” Snyder wrote. “The Vols spirit was definitely felt In my classroom today! THANK YOU so much so all who have made this such a positive experience for my student, and also showing the rest of my class what it’s like to come together and be kind.”

The student’s mother said in a thank-you note Snyder posted on her Facebook page that she’s “touched beyone words” by the support shown her boy. She gave a special shout-out to Snyder for "taking the time to stand up for her student and caring enough to do so."

“I am overwhelmed by the love I feel from this extended community and the pride I feel for my son,” the grateful mother wrote, in part. “Every comment, item sent and action taken on behalf of my son will never be forgotten and hopefully will serve as an inspiration for him throughout his life.”

Jim Delaney, the University of Tennessee’s associate athletics director for marketing and fan experience, thinks the enterprising student has a future in marketing.

“As a marketing and fan experience guy, I absolutely love the creativity that he showed there,” Delaney told USA Today. “I think he will go from making his own T-shirts to now being the envy of the school. And the fact that it's in [Southeastern Conference] country is a good thing.”

The Menace Of Bullies: Patch Advocacy Reporting Project

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

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