There’s a new addition to the playground at McNamara Elementary School in Baldwinsville, and it’s helping students build friendships. The school has designated a bench in the center of the playground as the Buddy Bench. If a student is alone on the playground and would like to join a game or play with someone, but they are too nervous to ask, they can sit on the Buddy Bench to signal to others that they want to participate and make new friends.

The idea for the bench came from fifth-grader Bridget Roy. When she was in fourth-grade she read about a similar bench at another elementary school in the country. She thought that students who played by themselves on the McNamara playground might benefit from a Buddy Bench. She wrote a proposal for the bench and presented it to the school principal, who liked the idea and gave it the green light.

The school’s PTA helped to fund a sign for the bench, which says, “Buddy Bench – Where Friends Meet Friends.” The sign was designed by Caleb Goldberg, a student at Baker High School. McNamara’s fifth-grade student council made posters, announcements, and presentations in classrooms to spread the news to the rest of the school about the bench. Students are encouraged to invite anyone sitting on the bench to join them in their game or activity on the playground.