Christian Bucks’ buddy bench has garnered some attention as a positive way to help fight loneliness at school.
Bucks, a second grader at Roundtown Elementary School in York, Pennsylvania noticed that some of his classmates were looking lonely on the playground.
Bucks listened to his father Justin discuss the possibility of moving temporarily to one of his employer’s international companies, reported the York Daily Record. Justin touched upon the buddy bench idea, and Christian and his parents began researching it.
“He thought this was a great way to help other kids who might feel lonely or left out from time to time,” said Alyson Bucks, Christian’s mother.
Christian brought the idea to school principal Matthew Miller, who found a bench that would work. Christian got to pick the colors and sit on the bench first.
(Screenshot/Today.com)
“Principal Miller described Christian as a Roundtown P.R.O.U.D. (Polite-Responsible-Outstanding-Understanding-Dependable) student who loves making friends and making sure others have friends,” reported the Daily Record.
Christian says he hopes students will seek each other out on the buddy bench.
“You go to the buddy bench and the idea is that someone will come and ask if you want to play or talk,” he said.
“We show we care about others when we ask others to play,” he added. “I also hope that new friendships will be made because of the buddy bench.”
