The magnificent snow fort at ÉMAG

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/04/2021 (1816 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Now that spring is officially here, it’s time to remember some of the wonderful ways the community used snow to spread joy and help us all through a pandemic winter.

The staff and students at École Marie-Anne-Gaboury built a fantastic snow fort and outdoor classroom in front of the school which drew nationwide attention. The original impetus for the snow fort was the tradition of creating elaborate snow sculptures to celebrate Festival Du Voyageur.

Tyler Milloy, principal at ÉMAG, and Joel Bohemier, physical education teacher, canvassed the students and it soon became clear they wanted to create a usable structure as their project.

In February, over 400 students in kindergarten to Grade 8 worked together to design and build the magnificent snow structure with help and direction from Joel Bohemier.

The students spent four days of physical education classes hauling the snow with toboggans, carving it into the right shapes and sizes, and piling it high, all according to their detailed plan. All grades were able to participate, with the younger students piling snow to the older students pulling sleds and piling the blocks.

Once the walls were built, the team froze water in makeshift molds to create desks and chairs, using food colouring to decorate them.

Upon completion, the fort became an outdoor classroom equipped with doors, tunnels, windows and enough seats and desks for an entire class. The walls were high enough that most students couldn’t see over them and were able to block out the rest of the world. The inaugural class in the snow structure saw students reading their favourite books on the colourful blocks of ice while warmly bundled up in ski suits and mittens.

Just down the street from the epic fort, a local mother and her family sculpted a group of snow bears that captured the hearts of students and gained international fame as the Bears on Barrington. Students in the Louis Riel School Division loved visiting the beautiful bears and many classes wrote cards and letters thanking the sculptor for brightening up the winter landscape.

This being Winnipeg, it was quite cold during the construction of the snow fort and other outdoor adventures, but students kept warm by dressing well and keeping active.

Also being Winnipeg, the weather turned pleasant again and the magnificent structure has since melted away. But just like Frosty the Snow Man, it’ll come back again one day.

I understand there are already plans to build one even bigger and better next winter.

Chris Sigurdson is a Ward 2 trustee for the Louis Riel School Division.