A 9-year-old Kentucky boy who died in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus is being remembered by his teacher as the “sweetest, kindest boy.”

In the hours before he died, 9-year-old Gabriel Andrews woke up before dawn Friday to catch his school bus on the last day of school before spring break.

Since Wednesday, more than a foot of rain has now fallen in parts of Kentucky. A 9-year-old boy was tragically caught in a rushing flood Friday while walking to school.