Innovation, Inspiration, and Impact

Hey Buddy!

Knowing more people and having new experiences makes us all stronger as individuals and as a group.

Our world is full of options.

Kacie Benteman, Counselor at Amelia Earhart Elementary, is helping the students eliminate some of the frustration that comes on the playground. Sometimes students don’t know who to play with or what to do next… This is where the Buddy Bench shines!

The Buddy Bench is a brightly-colored wooden bench, painted by the fourth graders. Students know it is the place to go when they aren’t sure who to play with. Every student is impacted by these benches, and it empowers the leaders to think of others and look out for someone who needs a friend. It also helps the shy students request friendship without having to approach anyone.

Here’s how it works… If a student sees another student on the Buddy Bench they can run over and invite them to play OR if a student needs a new partner on the playground or a new activity to do a student can sit on the bench and wait for someone to ask them to play.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to the Goddard Education Foundation. 

You are impacting students every day.