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March 9th, 2016 was an exciting crisp morning as 35 grade four Riverbend students, their teachers, two of the architects from Prairie Architects who designed Rivière-Rouge and I arrived at Gillis Quarries to participate in a very exciting event.

Some of our future students had the unique opportunity to select their favorite fossils that are embedded in the tyndall stone. The fossils they choose will be displayed forever in the tyndall stones which will be placed on the exterior of École Rivière-Rouge gymnasium wall.

We met the fantastic staff at Gillis Quarries and our very own Rob the Bricklayer who will install the stones. The Gillis Quarries staff made the morning fun and exciting. After our hardwork, they treated us to a healthy snack and great stories including the history of tyndall stone in Manitoba.

Did you know this porous, light stone has an intricate grey veining pattern of magnesium carbonate which was created by the burrowing of ancient marine creatures within the calcium carbonate bed 450 million years ago? Tyndall stone is quarried in Manitoba and can be seen gracing the exterior of many civic buildings throughout Winnipeg including the Manitoba Legislature. We now share a history with the Centennial Concert Hall, the Manitoba Museum and the Great West Life Building.