Grade 1 and 2 students’ mini replica of Renfrew gives Mayor big insights into future of town

Town of Renfrew Mayor Don Eady believes one is never too old to return to school, and he did just that when he joined Mrs. Wyatt's Grade 1 and 2 class at Queen Elizabeth Public School to learn more about the town he serves.

As part of their social studies class, students were given the chance to complete a very-hands on project, and the finished product was incredibly creative.

According to Mrs. Wyatt, the children’s teacher, the students learned more about their town by building an impressive miniature replica of the downtown core.

“Students were asked to examine the buildings in their communities and discuss how they meet people's needs and compare their own community with other communities around the world,” Mrs. Wyatt said.

As part of their project, the students chose to build a model of Renfrew, and then arranged their buildings onto a street-scape, complete with road signs and vehicles. The whole class discussed various community members and the important roles they play within Renfrew.

Eady was keen to hear the students excited explanations of the buildings and the roles that the individuals who work in them have to the town of Renfrew. The children also expressed many reasons why they feel Renfrew is such a great town.

“I was amazed how creative and curious the children were about Renfrew, and the men and women who work hard to make our town a great place to work, live and raise a family,” Eady said. “For folks a little older like myself, it is refreshing and inspiring to see the children not only take a genuine interest in the history and current state of Renfrew, but they were genuinely inspired to build that replica.”

Eady congratulated the class on their hard work, creativity and knowledge of the Town. He said the children offered a unique perspective, instilling a sense of community and an understanding of the history and culture of the 164-year old Valley town. Each student was presented with a Town of Renfrew pin for being strong advocates for their town and community.

“I really want to thank the staff and children for inviting me out to see their model,” he said. “For me personally, it was a chance to actually go back out in our community and visit with residents, no matter their age. The last two years of COVID made that pretty much impossible in most cases so it certainly was a refreshing change.”

As Eady wrapped up, he encouraged them to continue learning about Renfrew and all the members of the community who help make it such an amazing place to live.

“For now on if somebody were to ask me if I learned anything new about our great little town I will let them know the town's in good hands and I know that because I have met the future leaders of the future because those young students are aware of Renfrew, both in the past and present.