Pearl Sample Elementary School (PSES) students gathered on the playground for a grand unveiling of brand new Buddy Benches!
In a chilly ceremony outside led by Principal Dan Birch, Assistant Principal Aly Hokanson and the School Counselors, students celebrated this new addition to the playground.
Students also learned about the history of buddy benches, how the PSES benches came to be, and reasons that one might choose to use the new benches. After the PTO President Taylor Lunceford cut the ribbon, 4th and 5th grade “Leaders of the Pack” provided a demonstration of what a buddy bench interaction might look like.
School Counselors Colleen Brady and Simone Kiere imagined the possibilities for kids to make new friends if they had buddy benches on the playground. Principal Dan Birch supported the idea and the Pearl Sample PTO funded the project. Once the materials were delivered to the school, PSES administrators assembled the benches.
Sometimes called a friendship bench, these benches are provided on school playgrounds, as a way for students to signal to others that they need a friend to play with or someone to talk to.
The buddy benches will serve as a great complement to the three communication boards
installed earlier this year to promote inclusivity and connection amongst all students.