‘Dream come true’: Student-built warming hut earns spot on Nestaweya River Trail

Grade 7 students at a Winnipeg school have created a warming hut that will be showcased on the Nestawaya River Trail this winter.

A book-shaped warming hut made by students at a Waverley West school will soon be deployed on the Nestaweya River Trail.

The structure, named “Warm Up with a Great Book”, was made by Grade 7 students at Bison Run School and is among six new designs that will debut next to returning favourites. It was picked by The Forks from over 200 global submissions.

Tytanya Fillion, a teacher-librarian at the school, said the concept came to fruition after students began designing warming huts, noting that part of the curriculum focuses on structures.

“It just became a fun activity to put curriculum into play,” Fillion said. “We were fortunate that we won. I think we put 22 different options into the competition.”

The warming hut, which is only partly complete, is intended to mimic an open book, along with a bookmark-themed bench and several books inside for visitors to read. The hut will also feature information about Toba Centre for Children and Youth, a nonprofit focused on helping those impacted by abuse.

“We have these little pages… It’s going to be like streams coming down (in the hut) to make it look like a book,” said Tamilore Akinyele, a student involved with the project.

There are even plants to have a whiteboard inside for people to write down book recommendations to share with others.

Lila Morales, a student also participating in the project, said the book design was proposed due to the love for reading—particularly during the winter months with more time spent indoors.

Students received assistance on the hut from Sputnik Architecture and teachers, according to Akinyele.

“I’m just so proud of (the students)… They’ve worked really hard,” Fillion said.

She said some students came in on their days off, after school, and during their lunch hour for three months to make the warming hut a reality.

Construction of the warming huts on the river trail begins at the end of January, per The Forks.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Akinyele said. “It’s just been such a fun experience.”