Buddy Benches welcome students at Waterville Elementary ...

This school year, there are two new fixtures on the playground at Waterville Elementary School - Buddy Benches. The idea behind the Buddy Benches, which are found at school playgrounds all over the world, is when a child has no one to play with or just needs a friend to talk to, they can sit on the bench and other students will know that they need a friend and can go join them. It is a place for friendships to bloom, as states the quote engraved on the benches. The Buddy Benches were constructed by the Waukon High School Industrial Technology class under the guidance of Jed Hemann, with woodworking by Roger Bollman of Volney, and painting by Sharon, Cody, Riley and Hayden Palmer. The benches were made possible by a generous grant from the Waterville Community Foundation to the Waterville Elementary Parents for Progress group, at the request of the school. Submitted photos.