Sitting pretty

Deirdre Newman

Every so often, kindergarten teacher Bird Amble takes her students at

Whittier Elementary School in Costa Mesa outside to read. There was a

time when the students plopped down on the grass, but nowadays, thanks to

a Corona del Mar High School eighth-grader, the children have a large

bench to rest on.

The hexagonal bench, surrounding a Brazilian pepper tree, is a recent

addition to the playground area. Jamie Kline, 14, built the bench as the

final project in his ascension to the ranks of Eagle Scout.

Principal Sharon Blakely said the thoughtfulness that went into the

project sets a great example for her students.

“Children need to see giving, and this is a wonderful example of

giving a gift that’s practical and useful, as well as beautiful,” Blakely

said.

Jamie decided to give the school his project based on Blakely’s

request for a bench large enough to hold an entire class.

The requirements for the project were that it be a permanent

structure, take between 100 and 200 hours, and benefit a group or

organization. Jamie also had to raise money for the project because

Scouts are not supposed to pay for any of the materials.

Jamie started the conceptual phase of the project in June and built

the bench with a couple of other Scouts over three days during winter

vacation.

“It was a lot of hard work,” Jamie said. “Every time we’d go over to

[the lumber yard], we’d think we’d have it all finished. Then we realized

we forgot something. It took a lot of planning and cooperation.”

Jamie said he was originally going to fill in the inside of the bench,

but teachers started standing in the middle of it to teach. Because the

district donated flowers that were planted around the tree, Jamie

sprinkled cedar chips around the inside of the bench so the flowers

wouldn’t be trampled by the students’ feet.

“I felt relieved when it was finally done,” Jamie said. “[The

students] seemed so excited, and it felt so good to see people using it.”

The new addition and its environs have earned kudos from the students.

“The bench and the flowers are beautiful,” said kindergartner Jennifer

Ryan, 6.

Now that the physical labor is over, Jamie must write two reports -- a

detailed analysis of the expectations of the project, down to how many

nails he thought it would take, and another report of how the project

progressed.