Portables at SJH to house grade 9's

Hanover school officials have made a decision that will impact a group of grade nine students as the transition involving the new middle school and the new high school takes place.  Superintendent Ken Klassen says when the division first asked the province for a new middle school they asked for a grade 5-9 school. 

"We did this because we knew we would have a real challenge housing our grade nines and we didn't know we would have a different solution that would be offered to us.  We had asked for the new middle school and then about a year later we got the award and were almost blown away by the award of two schools.  We had actually asked for two but we really didn't expect it to happen but there it was."

He notes the second school turned into a grade 9/10 academy for the Steinbach Regional campus.  "Along with a complete revamping of the vocational areas.   And that was the deciding factor for us because we did our math and found out that the kids from the rural schools that were coming to the SRSS were electing about 50% - 60% for vocational majors.  So we were able to turn that award into both a vocational upgrade and a 9/10 wing."

Klassen recalls that was their first major change in thinking.  "We allowed that to develop and it came to the point where we realized we are doing so much change this year, how can we limit the change, slow it down a little bit and have it affect less people.  To make a long story short, we looked at all the numbers and all the factors and realized that we had room at Steinbach Junior High, in the portables that are already there, to keep the grade nines there for one more year before they go to the SRSS."

He notes they talked about it, asked people about it, have approval from the province and have now made the decision to keep the grade nines there for one more year. 

"What this means for the grade nines is it will keep them from having to go to one school and then to another school the next year.  It also means for one more year they will stay together with their friends, their teachers will get to stay together as a group and they will all get to go to the SR together."

Klassen says this also takes a lot of confusion out of this transition.  "Their senior band and sports teams can be maintained for another year.  We think we can limit the amount of displacement and dislocation by doing that."