SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Recess is that time on the playground that gives kids a place to shake out the sillies, but it's also a time to learn crucial social skills.
However, playgrounds can be lonely places if children feel left out.
Two Tennessee counties are making sure everyone is included with a special addition to their school playgrounds: the red buddy bench.
What is a red buddy bench?
The red buddy bench is a designated spot where children can sit during recess if they're having a bad day, feeling sad, or simply need a friend.
"If we all look back, as children at some point on the playground we were bullied, we were not included in a game," said Roxanne Melvin, who learned about the bench concept and wanted to bring change to Tennessee schools.
When Melvin discovered the buddy bench program elsewhere, she had an ambitious goal.
"We'd have to have a bench on every playground in Tennessee," Melvin said.
Community effort brings benches to schools
Jessica Yokley's non-profit, A Cora Christmas, with the help of community donations, raised $5,000 for the benches in all Lawrence County elementary and middle schools, as well as some schools in Maury County.
"I think it's just a really good lesson in empathy," Yokley said.
The bench serves multiple purposes beyond providing a place for lonely children to sit.
"It's also a very visual reminder to every student, to every teacher even, when they come on this playground to remember kindness. To remember including everyone," Yokley said.
Teaching lifelong lessons
Noah, Melvin's grandson, explained the concept simply: "The kids have like something, or if they don't have a friend, they can sit down and then they can have somebody to play with."
Noah is in third grade at Summertown Elementary.
The impact of playground experiences extends far beyond elementary school years.
"So I believe that the lessons that we learn on a playground will follow us for the rest of our lives," Melvin said.
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- Lelan Statom
