Community members gathered at J.R. Walkof School in Winkler last week to honour the memory of a little boy who certainly left a mark in his short time on this earth.
The elementary school cut the ribbon Sept. 23 on the Wyatt Kash Fehr outdoor classroom, built in honour of the five-year-old who died in an accident last year.
“This space is more than a structure. It’s a lasting tribute to a young life that touched many even in five short years,” said principal Moyra Vallelly. “This space will be filled with children who will learn, grow and connect to nature. Here, there will be laughter, curiosity and discovery. What a beautiful legacy to leave behind.
“Though Wyatt was only with us for a brief time, his presence has left a permanent mark on our hearts and on our school,” she said of the Kindergartner. “Wyatt’s legacy will live through every lesson that is taught here, every moment of wonder, and every child who is inspired in this space.
“This structure reminds us that the impact of life is not measured by its length, but by the love that it leaves behind.”
The project was spearheaded by Wyatt’s family, including uncle Ed Penner of Ed Penner Construction.
Penner shared that the idea came about in conversation with Wyatt’s father, Mark.
“Mark and I were talking one day and we got on the conversation about leaving something behind in honour of Wyatt,” he recalled. “With both of us in construction, a playground or an outdoor classroom idea came up quick.”
They soon settled on the classroom idea, and the project took off from there. They reached out to Vern Wiebe from Winterhouse Inc. for help in designing the structure.
“Vern met with all of us, gathered video and pictures of Wyatt, listened to stories,” Penner said. The result was a 3D rendering that lines up pretty well with the finished structure, which is meant to look like the frame of bicycle—Wyatt loved biking—featuring bright colours that match his favourite superheroes and a pair of silhouettes of Wyatt himself from the day he first rode his bike without training wheels.
It’s all meant to “express who Wyatt was,” Penner said. “He was fun, adventurous, and his personality was big.”
The project quickly got the go-ahead from both the school and the school division, and community support quickly poured in to make it a reality.
“It’s quite humbling that we can take an idea like this and the amount of help that comes up from the community to help push you to get it completed and done,” Penner said. “I had people walking in with cheques and people wanting to donate and phone before the idea was far from complete.
“That’s one of the things about Winkler that makes us so much different than so many other communities,” he observed of the numerous businesses who had a helping hand in this. “We try to help each other out. We don’t always work against each other. We try to work with each other and as a community, and that’s what helps our community succeed.”
Wyatt’s mother, Andrea, reflected that the project has very much been “a labour of love, and wonderful tribute to our little boy, who was gone too soon.
She shared that her son was an energetic and imaginative child who loved camping, riding his bike, and all things Marvel, including his favourite characters: Hulk and Spider-Man.
“He had a love of country music … you could often find him singing along to the radio or singing with his guitar and karaoke machine,” Fehr said. “He was sweet, compassionate, and had a great love for his family and friends.
“Our hope is that the outdoor classroom can be an added benefit to the community and J.R. Walkoff elementary school,” she said. “And that it can be used for many years to come in order to continue Wyatt’s legacy.”
The family partnered with the Winkler Community Foundation to create the Wyatt Kash Fehr Memorial Fund in support of the outdoor classroom build. That fund will remain open and proceeds from donations to it will go to other community projects in Wyatt’s memory in the future.
“Hopefully the fund is going to be there for many years to come so that every year it can give back and help out,” said Penner.
