{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Thumbcoast.tv | ebw.tv - Serving Port Huron and the Thumbcoast","provider_url":"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv","title":"Bottle Caps are Helping Students become Buddies","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QWW7llke51\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/bottle-caps-are-helping-students-become-buddies\/\">Bottle Caps are Helping Students become Buddies<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/bottle-caps-are-helping-students-become-buddies\/embed\/#?secret=QWW7llke51\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Bottle Caps are Helping Students become Buddies&#8221; &#8212; Thumbcoast.tv | ebw.tv - Serving Port Huron and the Thumbcoast\" data-secret=\"QWW7llke51\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_4731-1024x768.jpg","thumbnail_width":1024,"thumbnail_height":768,"description":"Written by Audrey Sochor \u00a0 \u00a0The students and employees of the Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) hope to have a new feature added to the playground soon and are looking to the community for support. The organization is holding a bottle cap drive for a buddy bench. \u00a0 \u00a0Introduced to America in 2013 by an elementary school student, buddy benches are a simple way to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground. Children who are lonely at the time can sit on the bench, which lets the other kids know they are looking for someone to play with. \u00a0 \u00a0The idea to bring one to RESA started when Jean Sturtridge, director of legal services, was talking to a friend who works at an elementary school in Adrian. Like her friend, Strutridge decided to take it a step farther \u2013 collecting bottle caps to be recycled and made into the bench. \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cCertainly the RESA community has gotten involved. We have people who have children and grandchildren who are collecting Ziploc bags of caps,\u201d Strutridge said.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Currently, the organization has about 90 pounds of bottle caps, which they started collecting in the fall of 2017. It takes 400 pounds for one bench. \u00a0 \u00a0Strutridge added cap donations are appreciated. They will accept any color of hard plastic cap like those found on pop and water bottles, gallons of milk or orange juice jugs. \u00a0 \u00a0RESA is all about education so Strutridge and some teachers have also taken the chance to turn this project into a learning experience. \u00a0 \u00a0Special needs students at the Woodland Development Center wash all the donated bottle caps and send them to the transition students at the Virtual Learning Academy. Those students, who are between 18 and 26 years old and learning pre-employment skills, then weigh and sort the caps \u2013 jobs found in plants and workshops.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cThey\u2019re doing math figures with them, calculations with them, so they\u2019re doing all those pre-employment skills that kind of support that,\u201d said Deana Tuczek, director of special education. \u201cSo not are we only getting the outcome of the buddy benches, we\u2019re also having our students learn from that process.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0The first bench will be gifted back to Woodland due to the students\u2019 involvement, but Strutridge and Tuczek hope to get enough bottle caps for more benches so elementary schools around the county can have one. \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI think this is a great opportunity for our student to be able to support their other students in the building,\u201d Tuczek said. \u201cThose that are struggling with making friends or having someone that they are going to play with when they go on the playground. We all know that those social interactions are the base of why many of our kids come to school, so it\u2019s nice to see they have that opportunity to be a friend to someone else.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0People can drop off bottle caps to the Woodland Developmental Center, the Transitions program in the RESA TEC building or to Jean Sturtridge at the RESA admin building."}