Xavier, a 5-year-old kindergartener in Louisiana, went above and beyond in adhering to his school bus safety guidelines. His bus driver, Chad Desormeaux, once overheard him telling his classmates that he was the “fastest kid alive”, and he saw for himself, after dropping Xavier off from school, as the kindergartener sped home while the other children chanted his name to cheer him on.
Desormeaux, who found the incident adorable, decided to record the child and got permission from his parents. “You ready, Xavier?” the bus driver asks the 5-year-old in a TikTok video that has gone viral and has had over 6 million views. He then asks for a thumbs up and opens the door to let the kid get off.
Currently a member of the school board, Desormeaux no longer drives substitute buses. However, he told USA Today that they made something fun out of it. “The faster he runs, the faster we can take off. It became a game.”
Due to the child’s age, he had to wait for Xavier to get home before he could leave his drop-off location. Adding that he frequently runs by himself, the 5-year-old remarked, “I’ve been practicing.”
Tiffany Saine, Xavier’s mother, told the network that her son has always enjoyed racing and used to run in the family driveway when he was younger. Furthermore, she revealed to GMA that the event involving the children on the school bus is “an everyday thing.”
“They get on one side of the bus and they scream Xavier’s name,’ Go, Xavier, go!’ That’s all we hear and that’s how we know they [are] outside. The bus from school is around the corner,” she said.
She never expected the video to go viral on social media and even grab the attention of Carencro’s mayor, who wants to see the 5-year-old very soon.
Through Desormeaux, Star Athletics—owned by Olympic medalist Dennis Mitchell and his wife, coach Damu Cherry-Mitchell, who works with players like Sha’Carri Richardson—also contacted Xavier upon seeing the video.
Xavier accepted the group’s invitation to travel to Orlando, where they visited Disney World and other theme parks and met Richardson. It was Xavier’s first flight and trip to Disney World.
They also attended an Orlando Magic basketball game. People who recognized the 5-year-old at Disney World in Orlando approached him and requested to take photos with him.
Tiffany expressed to USA Today, “It was so much fun. We went to Disney World. I mean, they just showed us so much love.”
She added, “We are blessed. I feel excited and blessed for him to get acknowledged.”