Many kids know what it feels like to sit on the sidelines during recess, hoping someone will ask them to play. Second-grader Christian Bucks saw this happening at his school, so he decided to create a “buddy bench” to help his peers find new friends.
When a student would like a playmate, all they would have to do is sit on the brightly decorated buddy bench to let others know that he or she would like to join in on the fun. Christian got the idea when his father considered relocating for work and showed Christian some of the international schools he might attend.
One school in Germany had the buddy bench, leading Christian to bring the concept to Roundtown Elementary in Pennsylvania. The second-grader got support from the school and its principal, who says Christian is Roundtown P.R.O.U.D., which stands for “polite-responsible-outstanding-understanding-dependable.”
Christian hopes the buddy bench will bring positive change, saying, “We show we care about others when we ask others to play. I also hope that new friendships will be made because of the buddy bench.” Good for you, Christian and Roundtown Elementary! For our readers, maybe Christian’s story will inspire your school to create a buddy bench. We’d love to hear from you about that!
York Daily Record, 12/4/13
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