Students and staff at Northern Shores Elementary School have been putting their hats on — rather than taking them off — for a brave first-grader battling cancer.

Bryce Delozier was diagnosed with small tissue cancer before Christmas, Northern Shores principal Tara Moore said.

The tumor that developed behind his eye has been removed, she said, and now he’s undergoing chemotherapy, which will be followed by radiation therapy.

As is usually the case with chemo, Bryce’s hair has fallen out. So his teacher, Traci Mettler, first started “Hats On For Bryce Day” in her classroom on Thursdays, when Bryce goes in for treatment.

The observance has now been rolled out school-wide, and the day has been switched to Wednesdays, so that students can wear their hats in solidarity with Bryce while he is at school.

“He’s actually started taking his hat off in the classroom a lot, because he feels comfortable with it,” Mettler said.

On Wednesday this week, Bryce wasn’t at school. He wasn’t feeling up to it, Mettler said. But in the lunchroom, a stuffed monkey sat where he would normally sit.

Monkey In My Chair, also under way at Northern Shores in support of Bryce, is a program designed to help cancer patients stay connected to their classmates when they’re not around.

“He also comes with us to reading groups, carpet time, anything we are doing,” Mettler said.

“We have fake food, so we bring him his lunch. It also becomes interactive, because we can email him when he’s not here, and we have a notepad to write notes to him.”

Bryce’s classmates are also collecting photographs to keep him informed on what’s going on in his absence, Mettler said.

The teacher said Bryce has an amazing attitude. “When he’s here he’s all smiles, and it helps with the climate in the classroom to keep it positive,” she said.

“He’s a smart little guy, so when he’s here he’s learning. The kids are really good to him.”

Mettler said she has had to explain Bryce’s illness to his class. “I’ve read two books to explain the background,” she said. “They ask questions and I answer them. We were even talking about it today.”

Bryce’s older brother, Gage, a fifth-grader at Northern Shores, has shaved his head. “He’s very supportive as a big brother,” Moore said.

“The students who don’t even know Bryce ask how he’s doing,” she added. “They say they are thinking about him. They are very nurturing and supportive.”

The school has ordered special shirts that students can purchase to wear on Hats On For Bryce Day. Proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.