ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — There were plenty of bears at Johnston Elementary School on Friday morning, including one much bigger than the rest.

Kindergartners gathered for the school’s annual Bear Breakfast, where each child received a stuffed bear and a tiny T-shirt to decorate for their new companion.

Then another bear walked in.

Ted E. Tourist, the Asheville Tourists’ brown bear mascot, surprised the children during the breakfast, joining a tradition that gives students something they can keep close throughout their first year of elementary school.

The stuffed animals are more than souvenirs. Students keep their bears at school during the year, where they can read with them, spend time with them and turn to them for a little comfort when they need it.

At the end of the school year, the bears go home with the children.

“This is the Bear Breakfast at Johnston Elementary, and we’ve been involved in this three years now,” said Tonia Sheppard, who sponsors the event with her husband, Alan Sheppard, through Alan’s Jewelry and Pawn. “They use this bear throughout the year as a comfort bear, as a companion when they’re at school.”

The bears also fit naturally at Johnston, where students are known as the Mighty Bears.

Principal Angie Trantham said the school has a Bear Pledge built around four expectations: encouraging others, acting responsibly, showing respect and being safe.

Ted E. Tourist became part of that tradition last year, when posters featuring the mascot and the Bear Pledge were created for the school.

“This event has evolved over the years, and the Teddy Bear Breakfast is a tradition that we’re excited to keep,” Trantham said.

For Alan Sheppard, who grew up for a time on that side of Asheville, sponsoring the breakfast is a way to stay connected to the community and its children.

The Bear Breakfast came just days after Johnston had another reason to celebrate. Trantham was recently named the 2026-27 Buncombe County Schools Principal of the Year.

She quickly redirected the recognition toward the people around her.

“The teachers and the staff and the families and the students have just done a world of work over the last five years,” Trantham said.

That work has shown up in the school’s performance. Trantham said Johnston improved from a state school performance grade of F to a D last year and a C this year, meaning the school is no longer designated as low-performing.

“We are Joyful Johnston,” Trantham said. “That’s what we call ourselves, and everyone in the building embodies that. So, we’re proud to be here.”

But Friday morning belonged mostly to the kindergartners.

They decorated tiny T-shirts, met a very large bear and left the breakfast with smaller bears of their own — companions that will stay with them through the school year before finally making the trip home.