LSU AgCenter Partners with Raceland Upper Elementary School to Install School Buddy Bench

In November of 2023, Assistant Extension Agent Kristy Monier from the LSU AgCenter Lafourche Office, and Raceland Upper Elementary School (RUES) partnered to bring a new Buddy Bench to the grounds at their school. The idea behind the Buddy Bench project is to serve as a place for students who are feeling lonely to sit and give other students the opportunity to make a new friend and encourage the students sitting to join them on the playground.

With the concern of youth mental health on the rise, the Buddy Bench project was proposed to RUES to allow students to make new friends and to get students to encourage their new friends to go and play with them. The Buddy Bench is a physical place that makes other kids aware of how someone is feeling. The goal behind the bench is that if a student sees someone sitting on the bench, it is a call to action that gives the student the power to help someone in need feel better with a simple act of kindness. They can ask the student sitting to join them in a game, swing on the swings or even just go for a walk around the playground.

RUES received their bench from LSU AgCenter in March and the bench was installed in April. According to administration at RUES, when students are feeling sad or lonely, they can choose to sit on the bench. The school is encouraging all students to SHOW KINDNESS to any Cubs on the bench by checking on, talking to, or inviting classmates to join them to play. They want all their students to feel WELCOMED, WANTED, and LOVED!

The Buddy Bench has now become a Lafourche parish-wide project through the LSU AgCenter due to other schools requesting a bench at their locations. In a recent Facebook post, RUES used the phrase “Everyone Matters” to accompany the pictures of their newly installed bench. With that being said, the project has taken on the title of the “Everyone Matters” Buddy Bench Project.

According to Mrs. Monier, the plan is to make this a two-phase process. “We want to reach as many elementary students as possible,” said Monier. “No students should feel lonely, left out or sad.” She also stated that this is a great way to teach students how to be kind and how to look out for others, but it also gives them the opportunity to help their new friends become physically active. “The LSU AgCenter has a Healthy Communities initiative to make Louisiana towns healthier places to live, work, learn and play,” said Monier. “Students can not only assist their new friends mentally, but physically as well.”

Phase one of the project is to purchase Buddy Benches for eight schools that requested benches that house 4th and 5th grade, which would impact 2,657 students. Some of these schools do have additional grades enrolled at their sites, so other grade levels would also benefit from this project. Phase two would cover six elementary schools that do not have 4th -5th graders who have expressed interest, impacting 2,322 students. If both phases of the project are successful, 4,979 students will have had the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

“As the leader of RUES, I want all of my students to feel a sense of belonging,” said Mrs. Lisa Boudreaux, RUES Principal. “When they are filled with emotions and feelings that they are too young to even understand, I hope they will utilize this Buddy Bench. Our students’ mental health is so important, and I feel like this is one step in the right direction to help build people up.” She also stated that it also teaches kids about kindness and being a friend when someone around them is in need. “I don’t know if kids who live stable lives even realize how lucky they are; it puts things in perspective for them….the bench shows them that sometimes others are dealing with things they know nothing about.”

Mrs. Boudreaux also received input from some of the students at RUES on their thoughts of the Buddy Bench. A 3rd grade student stated that it makes them feel like they will always have a friend even when they are sad. According to a 4th grade student, they like being kind and the bench helps them show kindness. Lastly, a 5th Grade Student said they wish they had the Buddy Bench sooner, like when they were younger. It would have been nice for days that they didn’t feel like they had friends.

The LSU AgCenter is currently looking for funds to purchase Buddy Benches for the schools in phase one. Then they are planning to continue to look for funding for schools in Phase 2 to cover the rest of the elementary schools.

“We are very honored and excited to be given the opportunity to make a difference in the mental and physical health of the RUES students,” said Monier. “I cannot wait to see benches at 15 schools throughout Lafourche Parish and hopefully make a difference in more lives of our youth, the future of our community.”

If you would like more information on the “Everyone Matters” Buddy Bench Project, please contact Kristy Monier, Assistant Extension Agent at 985-446-1316 or kmonier@agcenter.lsu.edu.