Sammie’s Buddy Bench

Scholastic: Why did you start your project?
Sammie: I first heard about the buddy bench while at camp the summer before third grade. It’s a place where someone can sit when they’re lonely. It’s a signal for other kids to know that the kid sitting on the bench would like a friend. I was 8 years old at the time and said to my mom, “Hey, I’ve been lonely myself, and it’s not a good feeling.” I didn’t want other people to feel that way. My mom found a company that took plastic bottle caps and turned them into benches. I thought that would be a really cool idea because it helps the community come together while they’re collecting the caps, it helps the environment, and it helps friendships. It takes 400 pounds of caps to make one buddy bench. In the first three months, we had enough caps to make three buddy benches!

Scholastic: What’s the best part of running your project?
Sammie: One of my favorite parts is meeting people. Every person  I’ve interacted with has helped me grow as a person. After third grade, the project took off. We started a few other schools on their journey to getting buddy benches. Now I’m a sophomore in high school, and schools around the world are doing the project. Sometimes I’m able to give out some caps to groups who need help so more people can get buddy benches.

Scholastic: What’s the most difficult part?
Sammie: At the beginning, I used to be so shy. I couldn’t even go up to someone. This project helped me branch out a lot. That’s part of the reason I started the buddy bench project. You can tell from the first video my mom ever recorded of me trying to spread the word of the buddy benches that I was a nervous wreck.

Scholastic: What math do you use for your project?
Sammie: Just making sure you have enough plastic is math! You weigh yourself, weigh yourself while holding the bag of caps, and subtract to find the weight of the caps. Then you add everything up to make sure you have enough caps for each buddy bench. We recently partnered with a company called POLYWOOD. Every school that collects 1,000 pieces of plastic caps can get a buddy bench with free shipping.

Scholastic: What advice do you have for other kids?
Sammie: So many people are going through battles that you don’t know about, so just always be kind. You’re not alone. My motto is: You don’t have to be an adult to make a difference. One small thing can make a big difference. My project started with one cap.

Key Math Idea:
Proportions

Sammie placed collection bins for bottle caps around her town. She used proportions to keep track of her progress. A proportion is an equation stating that two ratios are equivalent. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.