Buddy bench going viral

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This article was published 16/09/2014 (4166 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Any child feeling lonely or a little low at the Gray Academy of Jewish Education now has somewhere to turn — or, more accurately, to sit.

The Tuxedo school unveiled its ‘buddy bench’ Monday, an idea that’s been going viral since a Grade 2 student in York, Pa., pushed the notion in his school a year ago.

“The goal of the buddy bench is to foster friendship and inclusion among our students at recess,” said Gray Academy guidance counsellor Marcelo Mohadeb.

“The buddy bench is a place where students can come when they do not have plans for recess but do want to be included in some form of activity. The bench is a safe go-to place for others to see that students want to be invited and included in a recess activity,” he said.

Mohadeb said teacher Morris Henoch saw the idea online and shared it with staff. “We bought into it right away,” said Mohadeb.

The York Daily Recorder reported a Grade 2 student had noticed the concept at a school in Germany and brought it to his Pennsylvania school.

“Second-grader Christian Bucks noticed that some of his friends didn’t have anyone to play with on the playground at Roundtown Elementary School,” said the newspaper.

“He decided to take action to help foster friendships at his school, setting forth to acquire a buddy bench for his peers.

“The way the buddy bench works is, if students feel lonely on the playground without anything to do, they can go to the buddy bench, and another student will come to the bench and ask if they want to play or talk,” reported the York newspaper.

Mohadeb said Gray Academy jumped on the idea quickly.

“They’re not just benches, they are tools to help teach our youngest students how to be good citizens, kind friends and to be welcoming to all people, and that’s all right at the heart of what we do,” he said.

‘The bench is a safe go-to place for others to see that students want to be invited and included in a recess activity’

Mohadeb said the bench is located next to the play structure. He’ll follow in a week or so in the classrooms to make sure everyone understands how to use the buddy bench.

The school is encouraging others to pick up on the idea.

“We know this project will continue to reinforce inclusiveness, which is expected when students are at recess,” Mohadeb said. “The buddy bench is a constant reminder to include, be fair and be kind — a perfect recipe for building empathy.”

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca