Buddy benches carry on the ideals of Orlowski, Gonzales

The Curt Orlowski and Dakota Gonzales families continue to grieve over the loss of their boys in a fatal car accident in July. Comfort from the community has come in many different ways, but none as life affirming as the stories the families have been told about how the boys looked out for other students who were having difficulties.“Curt and Dakota were good kids,” said Curt’s mother, Laura. “They would sit with kids nobody sat with, and would talk to kids nobody would talk to. That’s what they did.”In July, parents at Herrick Park Elementary led by Holly and Mario DiPippo, were trying to find a way to have something at the school to honor Curt and Dakota. The parents decided two benches with commemorative plaques would be the best way to remember the boys and the way each boy looked out for others.Dakota attended Herrick Park, and his cousin is currently a student at the school, so it was especially helpful for the Gonzales family as well as inspiring.The Herrick Park families wanted to tie in the district’s leadership program with the benches and the buddy program,” said Michelle, Dakota’s mom. “I was like, why don’t we do it at all the schools?”“We just went with the idea and decided to buy the benches and put them at all the schools,” Laura said. “We put benches in the elementary schools because that’s where it needs to start. The boys were always smiling. They would go out of their way to make somebody else’s day better.”“Curt and Dakota were buddies and they cared about other people,” said Michelle.Curt’s legacy of helping others feel good continues at Sutton Elementary where he was a student. Last year, third graders, Emily Stevenson, Kelsey Knape, and Keira Gentry presented the idea of a buddy bench to their teacher, Stacy Bailey, now principal at Sutton.“They presented it to the whole school,” Bailey said. “They took that seed and planted it for the whole school. The buddy bench has been working very well. It’s a safe place to wait to be included.”Students who feel left out are encouraged to sit on the bench by the playground. Other students keep an eye on the bench for lonely or left out students, then go reach out and include them, or just come over and talk.With the donation of the bench for Curt and Dakota, Sutton will have a second buddy bench for the kindergarten and first grade students. Now fourth graders, Stevenson, Knape and Gentry have another round of presentations to make to the kindergarten and first grade students about the idea behind the buddy bench.“I think it’s important to be a leader and just be a friend,” said Stevenson.With the exception of the Herrick Park benches, which were assembled by the DiPippos, the Orlowski and Gonzales families divided up the benches, and then put them together. The activity was a hands-on memorial for the families.“We signed the bottom, a little note to them,” Laura said.“Putting the benches together was kind of surreal, because of why we were doing it,” said Michelle. “It was good but bittersweet.”Both families were very pleased to have such a perfect way to honor the memory of Curt and Dakota’s special desire to watch over others. “Curt and Dakota didn’t wait for someone to ask for help,” Laura said. “They just boosted that person’s day. Curt and Dakota were just good kids.”“It was such a big honor they would let us put the benches up at the middle school and high school,” said Michelle. “Anything to do with paying it forward in the kids’ memory has been awesome. Dakota and Curt would totally approve of the benches.”The placement of the benches was announced to THS students during ACT prep, and the families got a standing ovation. “It was just so touching,” Michelle said.The families continue to be in awe of the community support they regularly receive. “Everyone has just been so nice,” said Laura. “We just can’t get over it.”“It’s very soothing to the soul to hear good things about our boys and have people share things with us,” Michelle said. “This community is a complete blessing. Tecumseh is amazing.”

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