The elementary school years are a time when students are encouraged to problem-solve, seek creative ways to find solutions, make new friends, and begin to build their identity as young citizens. The ES administration recently had the opportunity to highlight these traits in a student. Esther Song, 3C, approached the ES administrators with a proposal that would benefit the entire elementary school. Her idea was to create a Buddy Bench at YISS, an idea that has been gaining popularity in schools across the world.

The purpose of a Buddy Bench is to give students a place to go if they feel lonely or need a friend to play with during recess. If students see someone sitting on the Buddy Bench, they know they can include them in their game or ask them to play. When asked how she came up with the idea, Esther said, “My mom and I were talking about friendship and how I was feeling lonely in 2nd grade. We started looking up social skills videos online, and we found out about the Buddy Bench. I thought it would be a good idea if YISS had one too because no students would be left out.”

Esther presented her idea to students in a 3rd-5th grade Chapel and Oasis Assembly and will be working with the 4th and 5th grade Guardian Ambassadors to design and create a plan for the Buddy Bench, which will be unveiled to students before Spring Break. YISS is proud to celebrate the creativity and compassion of Esther Song and looks forward to the benefits that the Buddy Bench will bring to all students.