Winnipeg school unveils 'Buddy Bench' aimed at fostering inclusiveness

Gray Academy unveiled a bench they hope will help reinforce inclusiveness among students during recess.

It’s the Buddy Bench. The way the bench works is if students feel lonely on the playground without anything to do, they can go to the Buddy Bench and another student will come to the bench and ask if they want to play or talk.

The idea was brought to the school from part-time teacher Morris Henoch, who first read about the Buddy Bench concept online.

A second-grader in New York, Chris Bucks, saw the bench being used in a school in Germany and brought the idea to his school.

The goal of the bench is to foster friendship. Henoch said he hopes by the spring, no student will be sitting on the bench and it’ll just be there for decoration.