Students in grades three and four at Edmonton’s Wîhkwêntôwin School are helping shape the future of the standalone Stollery Children’s Hospital-transforming classroom imagination into tangible design concepts.
What began as a fundraiser inspired by teacher Kara Weis-whose daughter spent 40 days at the Stollery-evolved into a collaboration with the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. The foundation invited students to contribute ideas for its $1-billion No Bounds campaign, aimed at building a new children’s hospital in south Edmonton.
Students met with doctors, nurses, and architects, then crafted 3D models of patient rooms and blueprints for units like pediatric intensive care and oncology. Their designs emphasize bright colors, nature, and elements that make young patients feel safe.
Foundation representative Cheryl Spencer-Morley noted the children consistently prioritized comfort and joy in their concepts-ideas that may influence the final hospital design. Planning for the facility’s size, services, and infrastructure is expected to conclude by year-end.