6 Year Old Danny Keefe – His Special ‘Band of Brothers’ Takes on Bullying
Danny Keefe, a kindergartner at Mitchell Elementary School in Bridgewater, MA, is also the official water coach for the Division 5 Badgers Peewee Football Team.
Danny is not only an important part of the football team, but a very unique dresser. He likes to wear a tie, suit and fedora hat to school each day as well as to each football event when he is on the sidelines.
Because of the unique way that he dresses and also a speech problem caused by a brain injury shortly after he was born, other young children have teased Danny on the playground and at school.
The teasing was hard on Danny, but it did not stop him from doing well in school, making friends and forming a close bond with the Badger football team. So when 11 year old Badger quarterback Tommy Cooney, of Williams Intermediate School, learned how other kids were teasing Danny, he decided to do something about it.
He rallied his teammates together to hold ‘Danny Appreciation Day’. Tommy and 40 teammates decided to wear a suit like Danny to school in his honor. They held a rally for him in the school library. They wanted to show the kids that were bullying Danny how special he was to them in the hope that they would stop the teasing. Their efforts seem to have worked.
This is a great story of one boy stepping forward to help another and the great reaction that it caused. It is proof that one person and one action can really change the world for the better.
Watch the inspiring story of Danny, Tommy and the amazing Band of Brothers from Bridgewater below:
Additional Resources:
- Watch other great IMK stories about bullying and caring
- Check our inspiring quotes about caring, courage, leadership and other related topics here
Topics for Discussion:
- How can one person change the world?
- What is unique about Tommy? What character traits does he exhibit?
- Have you ever been bullied or seen someone bullied? How does it make you feel?
Take Action:
- Stopbullying.gov provides are a bunch of great ideas on what you can do to stop bullying in your home, school or community
- Think about one thing you could do to help another person in need. Now go do it.
Teacher Features:
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.
