As another year ends, the Hanover School Board Chair looks back on the past 12 months with appreciation. 

Ron Falk says the biggest highlight of the year came in spring when pandemic restrictions eased, and schools slowly returned to normal activities. 

“When a person takes back to the beginning of the year, it just seems like an eternity ago actually,” he says. “We were starting to get at the back end of COVID and things are starting to open up, and we’re starting to get more students into the schools again. 

“And lo and behold, kind of on short notice, at least with not a lot of notice, we were able to do our high school grads like the way we used to.” 

Falk says graduation plans came together, making it a great way to end the school year in June. 

“And now in September, of course we're just going full steam ahead, just trying to regroup and recover. Of course, all the band programs are going, sports programs and clubs are going, and everybody's back in school. We're just actually very, very happy about that.” 

During the month of December, Falk was able to attend several Christmas concerts. 

“Some of the schools' gymnasiums were literally packed,” he reports. “People were standing around the perimeter and it was just really, really good again to get back into the concerts, and see what the kids are presenting and how happy and proud they are to do it, and all the creative ways that the schools are presenting the concerts and getting the kids involved. So, it was really good to see, for sure.” 

The Hanover School Division ended September with 8,357 students, which was 119 more than had been projected.  

Also in 2022, design work got underway for the new kindergarten to grade 4 school for Steinbach. This school will be located in the southwest part of Steinbach, north of McKenzie Avenue. 

Green Valley School is building a brand-new gym, a modified version of the old gym, and three additional classrooms.  

As for Mitchell Middle School, they are getting four additional classrooms.

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