'Wonder and Beauty of Kids': Kindergartner Hugs Classmates Each Day Before Boarding School Bus

A kindergartner in Virginia is ending each school day by showing kindness to his classmates with a friendly hug. 

Shanon Wells was nicknamed "hugger-in-chief" by students and staff at Johnson Elementary in Charlottesville after making it a daily routine to embrace others before getting on the bus, WVIR reports.

Be still my heart!! They do this, completely unsolicited, https://t.co/bHundPE1uD. SO sweet!! ⁦@CvilleSchools⁩ pic.twitter.com/odNT9FqYb2

— Johnson School VA (@JohnsonSchoolVA) October 18, 2021

Principal Summerlyn Thompson says the hugs have become a mainstay among the schoolchildren, especially since part of the day requires them to be socially distant. 

"We really do a good job of keeping our kids separated throughout the day, and so this is that one time of day," Thompson explained.

"It is something that they just started doing. They just do it every single day," she added. "It was so adorable and so sweet and so innocent and so kind."

Even though the children will see each other the next day, they still look forward to the warm goodbye.

And the principal says everyone can learn a lot from the kindness of these children which is what makes them so special.

"I just think it just encapsulates the wonder and beauty of our kids and their spirit and the love that they have for each other. We should all be more like they are," Thompson noted.