© 2026 ABC News

Mom Kathleen Hopson told \"GMA\" that Anna, who has been using a wheelchair for the last six months, rides Sherman's wheelchair-accessible bus.

\"Anna’s pretty independent and she’s been riding the bus without a parent since she was 3 years old,\" Hopson said. \"Arletha [Sherman] is an excellent bus driver and a very caring person. She loves all the kids that she drives and always goes above and beyond to make them feel safe and happy on the bus.\"

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Kathleen Hopson
PHOTO: Anna Hopson, 5, has a progressive neuromuscular disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
>

Hopson said Sherman gave a princess gown and tiara for Anna. When Anna boarded the bus on April 10, it had been decorated with streamers and a \"Happy Birthday\" banner.

\"[S]he looked around and asked, 'Is this all for me?'\" Hopson recalled. \"Anna was thrilled and surprised.\"

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Kathleen Hopson
PHOTO: Arletha Sherman, 64, of Jacksonville, Fla., is pictured with pre-kindergartener Anna Hopson, 5, on April 10, 2019. Sherman decorated the school bus Anna rides for her birthday.
>

Sherman said some of the children on the bus sang \"Happy Birthday\" to Anna. Local news stations reported on the story after Anna's aunt shared photos of the surprise on social media, Sherman said, adding that Anna is going to serve as flower girl in her July 27 wedding.

Sherman hopes Anna's story encourages other bus drivers to spread kindness to children.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Family/bus-driver-surprises-student-decorated-school-bus-honor/story?id=62357925","legacySlug":"/family/story/bus-driver-surprises-student-decorated-school-bus-honor-62357925","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"17:19","publishDate":"04-12-2019","updatedTime":"01:50","updatedDate":"04-13-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Arletha Sherman, 64, of Jacksonville, Fla., is pictured with pre-kindergartener Anna Hopson, 5, on April 10, 2019. Sherman decorated the school bus Anna rides for her birthday.","credit":"Courtesy Kathleen Hopson","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/birthday-bus-01-ht-jc-190412_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"4/12/2019 17:19:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":62357925,"headline":"Driver decorates school bus for girl's birthday","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Bus driver decorates school bus for little girl_190412","description":"\"She has the most beautiful smile and it inspired me to do something for her.\"","duration":"0:37","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190412_gma_digital_bus_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["137668594","137597685","137597683"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"October 29, 2026","headline":"Top general removed from position for lack of confidence, source says","section":"News","slug":"/video/137668594","id":"137668594","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Top general removed from position for lack of confidence, source says","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Top general removed from position for lack of confidence, source says","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261029_gma_scott_pentagon1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"October 27, 2026","headline":"Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","section":"News","slug":"/video/137597685","id":"137597685","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"October 27, 2026","headline":"All eyes on Israeli election","section":"News","slug":"/video/137597683","id":"137597683","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: All eyes on Israeli election","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: All eyes on Israeli election","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Driver decorates school bus for girl's birthday","description":"\"She has the most beautiful smile and it inspired me to do something for her.\"","duration":"0:37","uploadDate":"04-12-2019","publication":"04-12-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190412_gma_digital_bus_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190412_gma_digital_bus_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/bus-driver-surprises-student-decorated-school-bus-honor-62357925"}},"playlist":[{"id":"137680927","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137443017","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137471181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136253720","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137220313","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137234817","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137147457","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137132187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945841","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136930796","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136874802","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136841854","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136766868","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136694294","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136682772","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136631130","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136644492","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136623234","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136614308","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:family:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"family","title":"Driver decorates school bus for girl's birthday","pubTime":"13:19","pubDate":"04-12-2019","modTime":"21:50","modDate":"04-12-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":62357925,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Driver decorates school bus for girl's birthday","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Bus driver decorates school bus for little girl_190412","videoId":62357925,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/family/story/bus-driver-surprises-student-decorated-school-bus-honor-62357925"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/62357925","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/62357925","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};