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North Park Wilson School
Inspiring Learning
News Item

Student support of kids' museum recognized with philanthropy award

November 23, 2017

NPWphilanthropy_news.jpgWhen the PotashCorp Children's Discovery Museum needed the perspective of children to help shape the vision for its new museum, the students of North Park Wilson School provided the perfect partners.

"The Children's Discovery Museum worked with our students on some prototyping activities," said Principal Kristin Siba. "They watched how the kids played, they talked to the kids and asked for their input and suggestions. The kids shared their time and ideas with the people designing the museum."

The involvement and commitment of the students and school was recognized recently with North Park Wilson receiving the Youth in Philanthropy Award presented during Saskatoon's annual National Philanthropy Day event. Two of the school's Grade 4 students accepted on behalf of students and staff.

The partnership between the school and museum took place during several months. A display modelled on a community was set up at the school and students had the opportunity to play and share their thoughts with the designers. The school also hosted events that provided the museum with the opportunity to introduce the project to the public and receive community input as part of its planning process.

The opportunity to interact with the display designers and engage in kid-created art for a promotional campaign was a particularly good fit for North Park Wilson, which prides itself on being a centre of excellence for arts education. The new museum is located in the area served by North Park Wilson and as a neighbour was among the many people and groups who contributed to the school's 2016 mural project.

The partnership with the school helped those planning the Children's Discovery Museum refine the vision for the new museum, which will be located in the former Mendel Art Gallery building. The museum is scheduled to open to the public in 2019.

"(We) needed to engage the most important people in the community — kids! As North Park Wilson School's culture embraces the arts, diversity and a lifelong love of learning, they were the ideal partner during the exhibit design/prototyping process," the museum's nomination said. "The students volunteered their time to meet with designers, play on prototypes and share their perspectives to ensure the museum is inclusive and fosters creativity and curiosity."

The Youth in Philanthropy Award was presented Nov. 15 during the National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon organized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Saskatoon chapter.