Some students at Paul Norton Elementary School in Bettendorf, Iowa are making sure none of their fellow classmates are left alone at recess. They’ve organized a club that gives kids the opportunity to make friends.
It was a normal day at Paul Norton, students took a break from class to enjoy lunch, but what happened once these students go out for recess is not so typical.
"My cousin Joe, he's a special needs boy and once my aunt came to drop off something at school and he was all alone in the corner,” is the reason why third grader Anastasia Drexler came up with a idea to start a club.
"Well that shouldn’t happen at our school, I’m going to try to fix that” and from that the Smile Group was formed says Anastasia.
A group of 16 kids meet at the smile tower and lookout for any kids sitting alone and asked if they would like to join the group.
"If they say yes that’s okay, if they say no that's okay too,” says Anastasia.
"I think its fun to do, at the same time as you're doing the right thing,” says Smile Group member Julia Fiedler.
It helps kids makes friends, like first grader Lauren Ballard, “The reason why I joined the Smile Group is because nobody really wanted to play with me.
Even though it’s something the kids came up with on their own, the principal says all the teachers support it and the kids say everyone is welcome to join.
