Anne Hathaway PS Parent Council unveils Buddy Bench to support student well-being

Anne Hathaway Public School student council members cut the ribbon on Thursday, May 14, officially unveiling the new Buddy Bench on the school playground.

The Anne Hathaway Public School Parent Council is excited to share its new Buddy Bench initiative in support of student well-being, mental health, friendship and belonging.

Parent council and student council members held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 14 to officially unveil the bench to students and the public.

“We started this initiative because mental health is so extremely important, and by starting early and getting the children involved by helping each other, as well as self-advocating and growing that empathy piece, is so huge,” said Jamie Wagler, chair of the Anne Hathaway Public School Council.

The Buddy Bench is located in the playground area and is meant to be a space where students of any grade can sit when they are feeling down. Once another student notices, they can help make that person feel less lonely by joining them on the bench to talk.

“It’s already working,” said Wagler. “We've seen that at pick up now twice, that a child sitting on the bench and someone had gone over and asked if they want to play.”

Funding for the bench was donated by Mark’s Stratford, which says it was a small way to give back to a school in the community.

“This is such a simple idea, and it really is about getting kids to advocate for themselves at an early age and for other kids to have the opportunity to be empathetic,” said Barb Collins, owner of Mark’s Stratford.

“We've been in business for 36 years, and my son and his sister both went to Anne Hathaway, and now my grandkids go here. We've always been involved in different things in the community. We get so much from this community. So this is just a tiny little give back. These kids are so great. It was an easy yes.”

The bench gives students a safe, visible place to sit if they need a friend, feel lonely or want someone to talk or play with.

“We have just noticed that a lot of things children are going through are because of conflict with peers and bullying, and it doesn’t end when they leave school; they go home to technology where they’re still communicating,” said Wagler. “We wanted to give them a spot where they don’t need to feel alone. Somewhere they can go and know someone is watching out for them and taking a step towards empathy.”

The student council, made up of Grade 6 students, has been helping teach classes about the bench’s purpose and how to respond when someone is sitting on it. Staff have also been informed on how to support the initiative.