On Oct. 4, Lisa Wescott’s fourth-grade class at Hinkle Creek Elementary dedicated a playground Buddy Bench in a ceremony attended by school staff and parents.
“The Buddy Bench fosters kindness and inclusion among students by providing a place on the playground for kids to sit when they are in need of a buddy,”
Students from Wescott’s class started the project as a learning assignment, which included researching, presenting, training and securing bench funding in the process.
“The project is an example of Noblesville Schools’ focus on ‘soft skills’ in their academic curriculum, in this case kindness, inclusion and initiative,” the district stated.
Carter Lumber donated the supplies for the bench and construction was lead by Hinkle building supervisor Mark Rozzoni.
During the dedication, students shared some of their favorite kindness quotes and wore shirts provided by Westcott, which said “choose kindness.”
The bench adds to already-in-place Buddy Benches North, Promise Road and Stony Creek Elementary Schools.
