5th grader wears same NDSU shirt 4 years in a row for school picture day
A 10-year-old boy’s love for North Dakota State University will live on forever thanks to a coincidence-turned-tradition on school picture day.
Ben Ness lives in Bismarck, the state’s capital, and loves all things NDSU, home of the Thundar and the Bison.
Ben has been a fan for at least five years, so his grandmother, Kathy, bought him a shirt bearing the school’s historic Bison title for Christmas a few years ago.
He eventually wore the Bison shirt on school picture day, his mom said.
“He just wore it randomly for second grade pictures and then third grade rolled around,” his mother, Sara, told USA TODAY Friday morning. “We looked and it was the exact same shirt.”
When fourth grade came around, his mom asked if he’d like to continue the picture day tradition and wear the shirt his grandmother bought him, so he did.
“It must have been pretty big when she originally bought it because he has grown quite a bit,” his mother said.
Ben picking out the shirt multiple years in a row is pretty funny because he typically wears hoodies with t-shirts underneath, his mom said.
“I liked the Bison and it's really comfy,” he said, adding that he’ll probably retire the shirt soon.
The family even has a name for his Bison shirt: Ben’s picture day shirt.
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After word got out about Ben’s picture day shirt, the university reached out to him, he said.
“I got invited to a Bison football game this weekend on Saturday,” he said.
It’s his first time attending one of their games and he’ll even get to run the ball out to the field before the game with the university’s mascot.
When he’s not cheering on NDSU, Ben likes playing with his puppies, hunting, fishing, playing baseball, golf, basketball and football, he said.
His mom said he’s the youngest of three kids and is very silly. He loves to laugh and have fun. He has lots of friends and he’s very competitive, she said.
“He has the best smile I think I've ever seen when he flashes that big smile,” his mom said. “He smiles a lot. Many of his teachers will send messages home and awards to Ben for not really doing anything, just smiling all day.”
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When asked, Ben said he could see himself going to college at NDSU.
He wants to become a chiropractor like his mom and dad, he said.
“I think it’s cool,” he said. “I’ll get to help people every day.”
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While Ben has gotten attention for his Bison shirt, his mom has also tried to make picture day fun for him by letting him choose his own backgrounds.
He has chosen a multitude of backdrops to accompany his Bison gear over the years, including a green one since that’s his favorite color.
“(I chose the) American flag because I thought it would look cool and fall because I like to be outside,” Ben said.
His mom said she shared his school photos on her personal Facebook page and she’s glad his photos have made people smile.
“I think that nowadays with all the negativity in the world and the news and things that happen, people are just looking for cute little stories like this one,” she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5th grader wears same shirt every year for school pictures
