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March 28, 2024 1:29 pm
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JAG Students Provide ‘Buddy Benches’ To Elementary Schools

By STEPHANIE BUNKER

Moapa Valley Progress

MVHS JAG Club presents Buddy Benches to Grant Bowler Elementary  School last Thursday. The students tested them out and learned what they were for during an assembly  at the school. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BUNKER/Moapa Valley Progress.
MVHS JAG Club presents Buddy Benches to Grant Bowler Elementary School last Thursday. The students tested them out and learned what they were for during an assembly at the school. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BUNKER/Moapa Valley Progress.

Buddy Benches are lending a seat, and a way for kids to give friendship, to those that are feeling sad.
The Moapa Valley High School Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) club presented two “Buddy Benches” each to Ute Perkins Elementary in Moapa and Grant Bowler Elementary in Logandale.

Kaylee Fisher, a member of JAG explained that a Buddy Bench is a place for school children to go sit when they are feeling sad or when they feel like they need a friend. The idea is that other children playing on the playground will see this and go talk to the one feeling sad or invite them to play.

JAG presented the benches to Perkins Elementary two weeks ago. Bowler Elementary received its benches on Thursday last week. The children of both schools were called to an assembly where they watched a video explaining the purpose of the benches.

The video introduced a little boy named Charlie Cooper from Australia. It explained the lonely feelings Cooper had after being teased. The boy came up with the idea for a Buddy Bench and presented it to the Principal of his school. From there the children have been using the bench as a tool to encourage friendship and minimize bullying.

The JAG students at MVHS saw this video last December and wanted to share it with the schools in the local area. Immediately they began organizing to make it happen, they met with the principals and presented the idea to the teaching staff. Once it was approved they began building the benches. In doing so, the students had the help of Simplot Silica who donated the wood, and Summer Whitney who donated the metal, for the benches.

A team of students, parents, and teachers helped bring the benches to life. Gary Pratt and Buster Dreksler welded a bench. Father and son team Benny and Austin Vann welded another bench. Daniel Lewis worked hard putting layer after layer of paint on these benches.
“I would do anything to help the kids,” said Benny Vann. “I hope with the bench someone will come and talk to the kids and make friends.”

There were many other volunteers helping out too like Leslie Vicencio and Ashlie Mccafferty.The teacher supervising the project was JAG instructor Tammy Archibald.
On each bench there is a plaque with a quote on it. Towards the bottom of the quote it reads, “Because little people can make a big difference.”

Bowler Principal Shawna Jesson was very appreciative of the JAG program efforts.
“I am very excited to keep the conversation alive on how important it is to be a good friend and make good choices,” Jessen said. “I am deeply moved that the high school students thought to give back to the community.”

The students were very excited to receive the benches as well. A few of the kids got to test out the benches during the assembly.
JAG students gave the younger kids a chance to ask questions. During the Q&A portion one young student made the comment, “I’ll do whatever it takes to make someone happy.”
Others were skeptical of how people might react. But Archibald explained, “This is your bench; it won’t work unless you make it work. You own the bench.”

Other students liked this idea because they remembered having lonely feelings in the past. Principal Jessen had each student raise their right hand and make an agreement to use the bench only as it has been intended.

Jarred and his wife Dacia Jackson from Simplot attended the assembly in support of the Buddy Benches.
“When I heard about this I thought it was a good idea and I felt like we needed to get involved,” Jarred Jackson said.
Dacia Jackson was also very impressed with the JAG club.
“A shout out goes to the JAG students,” she said. “They have been an influence to many parts of this community, and they are learning the skill of speaking out to a crowd.”

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