Welcome back, Hunter: Young burn victim returns to class amid fanfare

  • Hunter Dover, soon to turn 9, sits in his grandmother’s lap during a presentation at Five Points Elementary welcoming him back to school after a long absence. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
    Hunter Dover, soon to turn 9, sits in his grandmother’s lap during a presentation at Five Points Elementary welcoming him back to school after a long absence. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
  • Hunter is invited to stand in front of a group of students after representatives from the Shriners gave an update on his recovery. Hunter spent months at a Shriners hospital in Massachusetts. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
    Hunter is invited to stand in front of a group of students after representatives from the Shriners gave an update on his recovery. Hunter spent months at a Shriners hospital in Massachusetts. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
  • Students listens to a talk about fire safety. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
    Students listens to a talk about fire safety. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

    The second grader battled his way through a year fraught with tragedy and terror. 

    He survived the flames, which left him with third-degree burns on most of his body. He made it through a long and…