Eagle Scout builds ‘buddy benches’ to foster friendships at Woodland School District 50 in Gurnee

Take a seat Eagle Scout Aaron Richards and let’s give him a standing ovation.

Aaron, 13, is an eighth-grader at Woodland School District 50 in Gurnee and, ever since he transitioned from being a Boy Scout to an Eagle Scout, he has been wanting to build “buddy benches” as his major scout project.

He approached Principal Derek Straight about the idea and lo and behold the principal said officials were already thinking about having buddy benches at the school and he was immediately on board with the idea.

Aaron is an outdoor enthusiast and while a buddy bench can be any kind of bench, he had always wanted to build an Aldo Leopold bench that’s named after the famous conservationist from Wisconsin known as the father of wildlife management who is well known for his book “The Sand County Almanac.”

Aaron has been to Baraboo, where Leopold’s Foundation is located, and it turns out the principal was also a fan of the book, using it to teach his fourth-grade science class. Aaron liked the buddy bench idea for personal reasons.

“What I really liked about the concept is it had a personal connection to me,” he said, recounting how through the early years of elementary school he was shy and didn’t make friends easily. The idea behind buddy benches is to foster interactions and friendships.

“If I had the benches back then,” Aaron said, well maybe it would have been easier to make friends on the playground.

“If I can make the world a friendlier and kinder place then I’m all in,” he said.

“I like (the outdoors) quite a bit and I like camping,” he said, ticking off his other interests such as hiking and fishing.

He likes the bench because you can “sit down and watch nature. It’s great,” he said.

The school district has them in the main hallway of the Intermediate School right now and plans to deploy them, two each, at both the east and west playgrounds at Woodland Intermediate.

“The buddy benches are meant to match up students who are looking for someone to play with at recess. If a student doesn’t have anyone to play with, he or she will sit on the buddy bench, and other students will know to invite them to play,” according to a November news release.

Richards got local businesses to donate materials and he found volunteers to help build the benches which took a total of 136 volunteer hours.

“On behalf of the Board of Education, the Woodland Administrative Team, and all the students who will benefit from this service project, we extend our congratulations to Aaron on achieving this success,” said the release.

Bogs and Books postponed

This is a lucky break for those interested in the relationship between birds and the Midwest.

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Rescheduled is a discussion of Author Michael Edmonds’ book, “Taking Flight: A History of Birds and People in the Heart of America” now planned for the public on Feb. 8 at the Volo Bog State Natural Area, 28478 W Brandenburg Road, Ingleside.

And the author will be there. Registration is required by emailing [email protected] or by calling 815-344-1294.

Members of the book club get their own time from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with the author, who is a writer, teacher and historian based in Madison, Wis. His writings on history, nature and folklore explore ways that ideas have moved through time and space in oral, printed and digital forms, according to Stacey Iwanicki, natural resources coordinator for the bog.

For more than a decade, he wrote the syndicated weekly newspaper column, “Odd Wisconsin” highlighting bizarre and little-known stories from the state’s past. His most recent book up for discussion was published in March 2018, she said.

Ice angling on the agenda

The 60th-annual Ice Fishing Derby will be staged by the unincorporated Antioch-based Northern Illinois Conservation Club, an independent group started in 1960 by outdoor enthusiasts that has its own 62.5 acres, clubhouse, pond and trails on the shores of East Loon Lake.

There will be auctions, fish judging, raffles and food sales during what is the club’s major fundraiser. The event goes on no matter what.

The headquarters for the event will once again be at the Thirsty Turtle, 42273 N. Woodbine Ave., unincorporated Antioch, on Feb. 8 and 9.

“Bring your family and friends to enjoy the carnival atmosphere. There will be games for the children and adults on both days. Come watch the fishermen register their catch of the hour hoping to win a prize for the smallest or the largest fish,” said the club on its website.

Raffle ticket sales are one of the most important aspect of the event and the cost is $3 or two for $5, and you use your ticket to enter fish in the hourly contests for biggest and littlest catch. Then overall derby winners for biggest and smallest fish are announced at the end when there is an auction for children starting at 3 p.m., followed by the adult auction. Raffle cash prizes are $1,000, $500 and $250.

It’s great for ice anglers or explorers. Ever walk out onto a frozen lake? Ever hear the ice groan? Check out what some of the ice shanty’s look like, and check in on what people are cooking on their grills on the ice.

Learn more about ice fishing

Then here is a seminar on Feb. 13 hosted by Wet ‘N Wild Outfitters to be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at Musky Tales, 25855 Route 173, unincorporated Antioch.