Elementary school students build bench with secret compartment to share messages of kindness
Wesley is reflecting on that day he started falling off the monkey bars at school.
“My leg got stuck,” the nine-year-old says, before adding that the rest of his limbs were being pulled to the ground by gravity.
“It felt like quicksand. Not good.”
Before we can appreciate the end of Wesley’s story, we need to know about the beginning of the bench he’s sitting on.
“We made it with power tools,” Wesley smiles, before imitating the noises each one made. “The electric sander sounds like ghzeeeee!”
Wesley built the bench with his classmates at the James Bay Community School, including Tesekla.
“It was so much fun,” Tesekla smiles, adding that painting the bench like a rainbow was her favourite part.
“I wish we made them every day!”
The project was part of their teacher Alyson King’s plan to create a place for positivity in the school, with a twist.
“Generally, these ‘Buddy Benches’ create places to where [students] can get a friend,” Alyson explains.
While their bench has certainly proven to be a venue for comfort, calm, and connection, there’s more.
“There’s a secret compartment!” Tesekla exclaims.
Alyson says the rainbow bench is all about empowering kids to cultivate kindness
“This compartment contains notes of gratitude to each other,” Alyson says, pointing to a plastic tube hidden underneath the bench.
All the students in the school can take a paper form that’s available available in every classroom, pen something positive about someone else, and deposit the note in that secret compartment underneath the rainbow bench.
“Showing kindness makes me feel really good,” Tesekla says. “And it makes other people feel really good too.”
Alyson empties the secret compartment daily and reads every note.
They range from “I really like your hat” and “thanks for helping me with my math” to “thank you for playing with me when no one wanted to play with me.”
“For these kids to recognize that they have a capacity to help their peers is pretty amazing,” Alyson smiles.
Every Thursday, the principal Marla Margetts shares some of the notes with the whole school during the morning announcements.
“The fact that they have such confidence to just say, ‘Hey, I love you,’ ‘You’re helpful,’ ‘You’re kind,’” Marla smiles. “We can learn a lot from kids."
That brings us back to Wesley, who says that he was saved from his monkey bars/quicksand predicament by a fellow student.
“Tosh came and pulled me out,” Wesley smiles. “It was really heroic of him and just wanted to thank him.”
So Wesley thanked him with a note full of grateful gold at the end of the rainbow bench.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.