Niverville High School is one of ten Manitoba schools awarded a $25,000 grant to build a new outdoor learning and gathering area focused on student well-being. The Access Credit Union Focused Funding Grant, announced on June 24, 2026 by the Hanover School Division, will support a project that turns lawn space east of the school into the Niverville High School Outdoor Learning and Community Space.
Principal Paul Grosskopf applied for the grant alongside the school’s Parent Advisory Council. The $25,000 will fund construction of an area designed to help students connect with each other and with nature. Work is expected to begin this summer, with local company Valleywest Landscaping already hired for the job.
The new space will include an Indigenous-inspired learning circle, a pergola with benches, river rock seating, circular pathways, and native plants. Ecological and historical signs will be placed throughout, and the school’s existing tipi will be set up there. The design aims to support outdoor classes, Indigenous education, and reconciliation, while also giving students a place to gather during lunch breaks.
“The key objectives of this project are to strengthen student belonging, safety, and engagement by creating an accessible outdoor learning and gathering space,” according to the Access Credit Union grant description. The area will be open to students, daycare staff and children, and visitors to the nearby Community Resource and Recreation Centre.
Now in its second year, the Access Credit Union Focused Funding Grant program gave a total of $250,000 to ten schools across Manitoba in 2026. This year’s focus is recreation and wellness, shifting from 2025’s spotlight on wellness and nutrition. Access Credit Union, with 47 branches and more than 208,000 members in the province, says the grants are meant to remove barriers and create lasting opportunities for kids.
Other 2026 recipients include schools in Starbuck, Winnipeg, St. Norbert, Powerview, Lowe Farm, Gimli, Dugald, and Vita.
