Buddy Benches at CC Loughlin School

What does kindness mean to you? An act of kindness is a spontaneous gesture of goodwill towards someone or something. Kindness is a quality. It is caring, it is helping another, it is being considerate to others in a time of need.

For a grade 5 student at CC Loughlin School, kindness meant having compassion for others when they may be feeling alone or unwanted. The Buddy Bench was an idea one student proposed to the faculty of the school, where students could go and sit if they had no one to talk to or play with. When a student is seen on the bench another student will accompany them and ask them to join them in their play. The purpose of the Buddy Bench is to encourage students to build friendships, respect others and to avoid bullying and focus on eliminating loneliness.

The project has started with the help from the students’ church the Westside Tabernacle who has donated $1000.00 towards the project as well as additional $300 raised by the young boy’s family and friends, and a school fundraiser which funded $300.00 from a hat day. The bench’s have been ordered.

Each student will be asked to take on a leadership role as members of the Buddy Patrol. The objective is to oversee the traffic on the benches and invite those children to play!!CC Loughlin is known as a Big Buddy, Little Buddy school. Children from elementary are paired with primary students to provide assistance in learning and play. It promotes teamwork and responsibility for others. Keep up the good work.