James W. Hill PS Students Leave Their Mark on Bronte's Waterfront

This spring, two designs created by students in Iwona Kulpa's Grade 5/6 class at James W. Hill Public School were chosen for the Bronte BIA Muskoka Chair Project, an initiative that brings uniquely painted Muskoka chairs to Bronte's waterfront. What began as a classroom project evolved into a meaningful art installation that will be displayed along the lakeshore for years to come.

"The inspiration for the project came from walking around the neighbourhood and seeing the beautiful chairs," says Ms. Kulpa. "I like to incorporate hands-on projects as much as possible because that's when students can really show creativity and innovation. It makes the learning tangible."

Earlier in the school year, students created miniature Muskoka chairs as part of learning about identity, community and global connections. When the opportunity arose to submit designs for the Bronte chair project, students were excited to transform their classroom learning into something that would be shared with the wider community.

"We talked about how our school and classroom would be represented outside of this building," says Ms. Kulpa. "This wasn't just a classroom assignment anymore. It was connected to the real world."

Students brainstormed ideas, created designs and voted on two submissions to represent their class. Both designs were selected by the Bronte BIA.

Grade 6 students Merry and Cici drew inspiration from local landmarks and school pride for their design.

"The inspiration was the Lake Ontario and Bronte area," says Merry. 

The chair also features the school's "Growing Together" motto.

"The 27 strawberries represent our class, plus Ms. Kulpa," explains Cici.

For Cici, one of the most rewarding parts of the project was painting the strawberries, while Merry particularly enjoyed creating the lighthouse and its beam of light.

The second chair, designed by Grade 5 students Doris and Scarlett, focuses on community, growth and belonging.

"We started with a tree because it represents growing together as a whole school and classroom," says Doris. "Each leaf represents a student in our class."

The students also incorporated fingerprint strawberries and a river inspired by Bronte Creek.

The symbolism embedded throughout the chairs reflects both the history of James W. Hill Public School and the community surrounding it. Fingerprint strawberries honour James W. Hill's roots as a strawberry farmer, while each fingerprint represents an individual student's contribution.

"We wanted to make the strawberries unique because every fingerprint is different," says Scarlett. 

While the final designs came from a few students, every member of the class contributed to the finished chairs. Students added fingerprints, painted details and helped bring the designs to life.

"My favourite part was working together with all our classmates and creating something together," says Doris.

Grade 6 student Hannah says the collaborative nature of the project made it especially meaningful.

"The best part of the chair is that our whole class is a part of it, not only the artists," she says. "It doesn't end just in our classroom. Everyone can see it. I think this is one of my favourite parts of this year."

Classmate Ashreen agrees: "Everyone worked so hard to make this chair," she says. "We all worked as a community."

Niharika, who also contributed to the project, says the experience was memorable because everyone had an opportunity to contribute.

"It was really fun to paint these chairs," she says. "It wasn't just specific people painting it. I feel like it really represents our classroom and our school."

Several students shared how special it felt to help create something that would be displayed publicly.

"It was really nice for me to be able to paint a part of the chair and be one of the first people to see it," says Grade 5 student Izzy.

"My favourite part was being able to paint them and be among the first people to see them," agrees Grade 6 student Ella. "I think that's a real privilege."

The project also gave students an opportunity to celebrate one another's creativity. Grade 6 classmate Deena enjoyed seeing the original designers' ideas come to life.

"It made me really happy to see Doris, Scarlett, Cici and Merry's ideas expressed on the chair," she says.

"To anybody else, the chair may look like a beautiful chair with symbols and strawberries," says Grade 6 student Fiona. "But to us, it means more than that. The strawberries represent James W. Hill, and the tree represents us as a school family and community."

Even students whose designs were not selected felt represented in the final product.

"When I designed my chair, even though it wasn't chosen, I still felt represented with my class when we were creating it," says Grade 5 student Julieta.

Her classmate Ira felt the same connection.

"My favourite part was putting on our fingerprint strawberries because it feels like I can be part of a big community," she says.

Students also reflected on the importance of creating art that extends beyond the classroom.

"Art is important because it represents who we are and tells people about us," says Cici.

"It shows creativity and how we're all creative in our own ways," adds Doris.

Scarlett hopes the chairs will inspire others to create.

"Other people will see that this was made by students," she says. "Maybe it will inspire younger kids to be creative and not be afraid to make mistakes."

For Ms. Kulpa, that lasting impact is exactly what makes projects like this worthwhile.

"When students leave here, they're not going to remember everything I've taught," she says. "But they will remember experiences like this. These projects bring learning to life, build community and show students that what they're doing can have a real impact in the world."

The chairs were installed at Bronte's waterfront in June, where they will continue sharing the story of James W. Hill Public School—and the students who created them—with the community for years to come.