After a tough school year filled with bullying by his classmates, Xander Rose is finishing Grade 4 on a high note.

The 10-year-old boy from Sydney, N.S. told CTV Atlantic that the past two final weeks of school at Harbourside Elementary have been a little bit better than before.

“I feel like I’m not the victim of being picked on at the school as much as I used to be,” Rose said on Wednesday.

The reason?

Rose’s mother, Katie Laybolt, said she believes it’s because of the support her son received from hundreds of bikers who escorted him to his school last week.

The highly publicized event saw hundreds of bikers ride their motorcycles through Whitney Pier as a smiling Rose waved to spectators lining the streets to watch.

The young motorcycle fan’s new leather-clad brothers and sisters then walked him up to the school’s front doors to deliver a message to other students that bullying isn’t okay.

“He was glowing,” Laybolt reminisced. “I’ve not seen him come from school like that all year. He expressed that other children there that had tormented him wanted to speak with him. Not all, but some and even that’s a small victory.”

The bikers’ powerful gesture appears to have made an impression on more than just Rose. School board officials have already reached out to the biking community to ask them to participate in future school functions, according to Laybolt.

Rose’s mother said that although she’s received some negative feedback about last week’s event, the majority of it has been positive.

“It was never about intimidation,” Laybolt said of the biker escort. “They were never there as a show of force, be it to the school or the bullies themselves. They were there as a show of support to help the kids that have been tormented.”

For Rose, knowing there is a whole community behind him has made getting through the end of the school year that much easier.

Come Friday, the 10-year-old boy will be able to enjoy a break when summer vacation for elementary students begins.

With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore