Friendship is in the air at Elm Creek School (ECS).
Students at the elementary school can now grow relationships with the help of their buddy bench.
Buddy benches are also known as friendship benches. They’re colourful benches on playgrounds to combat loneliness and bullying in schools. When a child feels lonely, isolated, or wants someone to play or talk with, they can sit on the buddy bench so other children know they need a friend.
Back in 2013, a first-grader named Christian Buck was reflecting on what it would be like to be the new kid at school. This was because Christian’s family was facing the possibility of moving to Germany for his dad’s job. While looking into potential schools to attend in Germany, Christian and his mom noticed that one school included a special bench in their playground. Children who were feeling lonely and needed someone to reach out to them during recess would sit on this bench.
Christian considered that there might be lonely kids at his elementary school and thought they could use one of these benches. So, he talked to his principle, Matthew Miller, and they resolved to have one of these benches installed in the Roundtown Elementary playground. This was the first known buddy bench at a North American school. Christian’s family ended up staying, so he was able to help explain the purpose of the buddy bench to his classmates and the school board.
The buddy bench was met with a lot of excitement, not just from Roundtown Elementary but from news outlets that covered the story. This helped spread the idea of buddy benches to other schools.
Along with combating isolation and bullying, buddy benches encourage empathy and foster community. They can help new students make friends and existing ones make new friends.
When ECS Grade 4 students Avery and Kynsley noticed some of their peers were standing alone at recess last year, they decided to do something about it. Having got the idea from a friend at Carman Elementary, Avery brought it to Kynsley — what if they added a buddy bench to their school?
“Otherwise, some people at recess might not have friends to play with,” said Kynsley.
So, the girls brought their plan to their teachers, and then to their parents, and soon enough, Avery’s dad had built them a bench. The two girls then worked together to paint it bright yellow, adding the words “Buddy Bench” in rainbow lettering on the back.
Younger students at ECS were invited to sign the buddy bench
“That way it can stand out,” said Avery.
ECS interim principal Ashley Cook wasn’t at the school when the bench was added last spring, but she said coming into her role and it already being there makes her proud. Her favourite part is the bench project was completely student-led.
Cook and both the girls have witnessed the buddy bench working its magic. Cook recalled taking a student out to recess one day and watching him look around, then make his way to the bench. Soon enough, he was off it and playing with other students.
“It was a nice moment to witness,” she said.
She said if the students don’t see someone sitting on the bench, a staff member usually will and will give the students a nudge to go over there.
Avery has used the bench herself in both ways — once she sat on it and waited for a friend, and another time she went up to someone sitting on it.
“It’s more fun having friends than sitting alone,” said Avery.
The bright buddy bench is adorned in names of students at ECS. The younger grades were invited to sign their names on it as a promise to use it properly. Kynsley said that means not just sitting on it for a break, but sitting on it when they’re in need of a friend or leaving it available for someone else who needs one.
