Scouting News

New bench means buddies for all

Posted

Everyone needs a buddy. Whether it’s playing outside, making crafts or eating lunch together, having a friend to do it with makes it even better. But sometimes it’s hard to make friends, so 10 Seaford Girl Scouts from Manor Elementary came up with the solution.

“We kind of brainstormed some ideas after our journey, which dealt with bullying and showing girls that they can do anything they want to do by not stereotyping,” Scout leader Julie Nietsch said. “So we came up with the idea of the Buddy Bench, which would benefit people who don’t have friends or feel left out.

The Buddy Bench was dedicated in the school’s playground on May 11 as a part of the Seaford-Wantagh Girl Scout Association’s Bronze Award presentation. The idea is simple. A child can sit at the bench when they’re feeling lonely and someone will come over to talk or invite them to play. 

“I think the girls who created this bench are all wonderful role models and fine examples for the rest of our students here at the Manor School,” Principal Debra Emmerich said. “I’m looking forward to having them christen this bench and sit with some buddies and get them to know the purpose of it.”

At the junior level, the Bronze Award is the highest honor that the Scouts can earn. The girls had to find an issue in the community and try to fix it. After weeks of work, the Buddy Bench came to life.

“We had to sand it, put it together and stain all of the wood pieces,” Girl Scout Taylor DiFondi said. “We all did it together as a troop and we really committed to making it special. My favorite part about making this bench was seeing the final product and seeing it all come together.

“This bench can help people if they are being bullied, if they don’t have someone to play with or if they just aren’t having a good day,” Taylor added. 

The Scouts are proud of their hard work and look forward to using the bench on the playground. The Bronze Award ceremony will take place next month.

“Every girl did multiple parts of this project,” Nietsch said. “I think this will promote what Seaford Manor believes in — that everyone is a friend.” 

“They are great examples to their own peers and to all of the students in the other grades as well,” Emmerich added. “They are great helpers to our kindergarten classes and our younger students, too.”