A group of fifth graders wants to make sure that each child in need gets a friend indeed. Amy Cuenca is a music teacher at JCPS’ Bowen Elementary School, oversees the Bright Bees Project. Students conceived of the project, named after Bowen’s mascot, and create video resources attached to stuffed animals through a QR code to give to kids in crisis.
Cuenca spoke with me about how the project aims to have first responders give the stuffies to children to comfort them.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Michelle Tyrene Johnson: You’re in charge of the Bright Bees Project. Tell us a little about it.
Amy Cuenca: It started last year with a group of fifth graders who wanted to make a difference in the community. So, they decided to start the Bright Bees Project, which gives stuffies to children who are dealing with trauma or stress or are in emergency situations. The ultimate goal was that the stuffies would be given to first responders, who could then give them to children who are at the emergency site. But to start with, last year, our students gave the stuffies to family resource centers and to JCPS.
What makes it extra special is that attached to the stuffed animal is a tag that has a QR code that links the children to a website that's completely student created with videos they also created. It includes breathing techniques for staying calm when frustrated or anxious and some book read alouds.
MTJ: Why is this so important to fifth graders?
AC: This happened because one student had a friend who was in a serious car accident and came to school telling the kids about how stressful it was and how scared they were when the ambulance came and the police officers were there. The student thought it would have been nice for the ambulance workers or the police officers to be able to offer something to her friend in that moment. She thought, how nice it would be for her friend to get a new little stuffed animal? And then we decided to take it further and do some student-created videos that could help keep her calm.
MTJ: How many stuffies do you think you have made at this point?
AC: We are at eighty-five. We started with 30. Last year, we had over 120 and then the Jeffersontown Police Department became our first community collaboration with first responders. They placed an order for forty-five stuffed animals. And it's our understanding that one of the social workers had already delivered the first of the stuffies to a child she works with.
Last year, we did connect with a couple of JCPS family resource centers that did use the stuffies for some of their children that they serve. But this is our first year of really connecting with those first responders, which is exciting, because that was the original goal of those fifth-grade girls last year who started the project. And at the end of the year, when they were moving on to middle school, they said, can we please find some fifth graders who want to continue this for next year? And that's where we are now, and now their dream is really happening. It's coming true.
MTJ: What do you think you've gotten from this?
AC: I feel so grateful to see everyday kids who care about our community, who care about each other, who care about our future. You know, it seems like we're always hearing about things that are bad in the world, but one of the greatest gifts of being a teacher is getting to see the good in the world every single day through these kids' eyes. And their hearts are so big that they want to make a difference. And if they have an adult who's willing just to kind of help them get those first steps, they take it and run with it. They're really incredible.
Students are accepting donated stuffed animals for the project. They can be sent to The Bright Bees Project at Bowen Elementary School.
