The fate of Hanna Primary School will likely be settled next February or March it was learned at a recent board meeting of Prairie Land Regional Division (PLRD).
    At that time, Alberta Education will make its funding announcements for school divisions across the province.
    Officials at PLRD are hoping their funding will include enough to modernize J.C. Charyk School so that Hanna Primary students can move into the building.
    “There won’t be [funding] announcements made until February, so we’ll have to take it from there and see what we can do to accommodate the amalgamation. There’s going to have to be some significant upgrades before the schools join,” said Wes Neumeier, superintendent for PLRD.
    The PLRD board has decided to use capital funding for the upgrades, rather than use infrastructure maintenance and renewal (IMR) funds, which has been earmarked for maintenance and minor upgrades to various schools in the division.
    The decision to combine Hanna Primary School and J.C. Charyk was made in August after months of intense debate. The motion was brought forward in light of the age of Hanna Primary and the considerable cost of bringing it up to standards.
    It was felt any money that could be used for renovations would be better spent modernizing J.C. Charyk School, which has students from Grades 4 to 12.
    The board is awaiting to see what funding is available to modernize J.C. Charyk and then go from there.
    “There is a motion in front of the board to amalgamate the two schools [Hanna Primary and J.C. Charyk] and they reaffirmed their commitment to that as long as we can renovate J.C. Charyk to meet the student’s needs,” said Neumeier. “The board has reaffirmed its commitment to doing this well and making sure there is funding for everything to go as planned.”
    Should the funding announcement in February be favourable, work could begin on modernizing J.C. Charyk over the summer break. However, any final decision as to when Hanna Primary students make the move will wait until funding is known.
    Until then, Hanna Primary will continue to operate as normal.
    “They [PLRD board] believe to put the students together, there has to be adequate support and upgrades,” said Neumeier. “The board is committed to maintaining the necessities at the school as long as its operating.”

    A new face of DVSS was on full display last Friday as students, teachers and members of the community celebrated International Education Week.
    November 12-16 is International Education Week and Canada is part of a community of more than 100 counties to mark the occasion that showcase the contribution international education makes.
    The world was on a stage at DVSS. This year there are 57 students in the international program at the school representing about a dozen different countries.  This year the numbers are up over last year and principal Curtis   LaPierre said he expects the program is growing again.
    “We’re getting really good at what we do, we are good at the placement of students, testing students in terms of their level of English and the marketing of students in terms of who we are bringing in,” said LaPierre. “The caliber of kids that we have been getting has been going up significantly.”
    The cross section has changed as well. While in previous years the program had been marketed heavily in Asia, this year all continents save for Antarctica and Australia are represented.
    The program is beneficial for the international students as it give them the opportunity tom live abroad, and study, learn or improve a second language and expand their world view. For the local students there are also great benefits.
    “We call it an international program but the student body has embraced and accepted this program just as something we do. This is our normal. It is nothing extraordinary, they are just used to meeting new kids all the time that speak another language,” sad LaPierre.
    Last Friday students were celebrating what makes them special through music, food, and sharing their talents. There were opportunities for students to expand horizons as well. The Duke of Edinburgh program was represented at the event and Tracy Kakuk of the Drumheller Rotary Club was on hand sharing the kinds of international experiences it offers to youth.

The food was a big hit as students, and staff at DVSS celebrated International Education Week. This year 57 student representing about a dozen countries are in the international program at the school.