5th grader wears same shirt every year for school pictures

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR/Gray News) - School pictures are a good way to measure how much our kids grow and change over the course of a year, but when one North Dakota mom looks at her son’s pictures, she sees what’s stayed exactly the same: his shirt.

Ben Ness, 10, is a man of few words, but his school photos are worth at least 1,000 words each, according to KFYR. For his 2nd and 3rd grade school photos, he inadvertently wore the same shirt, a North Dakota State University Bisons shirt.

“When he brought his pictures home in 3rd grade and we opened them up, it was the exact same shirt that he wore the year before. I was like, ‘Whoa, buddy. You wore the exact same shirt as last year.’ And he was just as surprised as I was,” said Ben’s mom, Sara Ness.

So, when 4th grade came along, Ben knew exactly what to wear on school picture day.

“I thought it would be cool,” he said.

Even cooler, he wore that same shirt this year for his 5th grade photo.

“This year, I did it on purpose,” Ben said with a smile.

“It was a conversation,” his mom said. “And I said, ‘Do you want to wear the same shirt again?’ And he’s like, ‘Yep! Let’s put it on.’”

This shirt was a gift from his grandma. It’s now affectionally known as Ben’s “picture day shirt.” He hopes to wear it for at least two more school picture days.

His mom says she wouldn’t put it past him.

“He’s kind of a funny kid, and he likes traditions,” she said. “So, I could see him bringing it to school and just popping it on just for the pictures... I could see him doing it just for the tradition.”

It’s a tradition that’s been making Ben’s family smile for years.

Ben’s mom lets her kids choose their own backgrounds for their school photos. Ben has chosen green because it’s his favorite color, as well as a nature scene, because he likes to be outdoors. He’s picked the American flag background twice because he says he’s proud to be an American.

Copyright 2023 KFYR via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.