LEBANON — New and improved learning spaces will greet students and staff at Hanover Street and Lebanon High schools when the school year begins later this month.

The Hanover Street School, which serves 320 students in grades K-4, has four new classrooms and a new cafeteria.

Meanwhile, the neighboring high school’s 615 students will have use of renovated band room and music spaces, as well as an expanded and reconfigured entrance area intended as a gathering spot for students. 

“These changes will provide our teachers, staff, and students with modern, inspiring environments that support creativity, collaboration, and well-being,” Lebanon Superintendent Amy Allen said in a statement Friday. 

“We are deeply thankful for the community's support in making these improvements a reality, and we can't wait to see the positive impact they will have on our school experience.”

The improvements were funded by a $14.53 million bond approved by voters in March 2022. That approval came after three previous facility-improvement bond issues fell short at the polls and after some scaling down of the scope and cost of the project. 

Construction at the Hanover Street school complex began in June 2023 immediately following the high school graduation ceremony, and was largely complete by this June. 

Built in 1958, the complex had not seen significant renovations since 2002.

“In years prior to the renovations, all of the teachers had to take their students through a back way to the high school cafeteria to get their food and then take it to their classrooms,” Hanover Street Principal Leah Wheelan said by phone Friday.

The new cafeteria is “a beautiful space,” she said. It will be used for after-school programs and allow for larger gatherings during the day without disrupting physical education classes.

“To make it work before the new classrooms, we had a lot of people doubled-up in insufficient spaces,” Wheelan said. 

Meanwhile, the high school did not have any practice space for musicians until this project, and those rooms will enhance musical programming, Lebanon High School Principal Ian Smith said Friday.

“The acoustics in the previous band space were not ideal and there were sound issues in adjoining classrooms when band classes were being held,”  Smith said. 

The construction of the new spaces in the high school “shows a commitment to our music department and our participating students,” he said. 

Additional improvements in storage mark an end to students having to lug heavy instruments, props and equipment to and from the school’s second floor when performing at the Lebanon Opera House and other venues. 

The high school’s new entryway creates better sight lines for office staff to monitor people as they enter and leave the building, improving safety, and includes a student lounge area.

Because the work was on time and on budget, Wheelan said, some of the contingency funds built into the bond became available, allowing for upgrades to a few additional spaces at the Hanover Street School, including the nurse's office and two first-floor bathrooms.

The first day of school for Lebanon students is Thursday, Aug. 29.

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.