School Board News
District News
District Technology Department leaders recently had fun visiting with a group of 12 Central Middle School students and used a Human Centered Design process to solve problems relating to Chromebook usage at their building! The Technology Department brought four representatives from the student innovation team to present about the process at the Projects, Pedagogy and Play Conference! This is an opportunity for educators and students from around the metro to gather and spend time further understanding project-based learning and the impact of playful learning in the classroom! In other project-based learning experiences, high school students were able to recently participate in the Minnesota North Star Regional event where they designed a robot that performed in a competition! In other science-related news, White Bear Lake Area Learning Center students recently found a dobsonfly/fish fly larva in the Audubon Center of the North Woods, which is a rare bioindicator for the health of their creek!
The fun continued, as Birch Lake Elementary was recently getting ready for their performances of "Jelly Beans the Cheetah and Hope." This show was about being kind to others and embracing empathy and was possible due to a White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation Ryan Family Art Grant and a partnership with Children's Performing Arts. A fun highlight of their rehearsals can be seen in this video. They were excited to show their families and community members all that they had been working on. In other performances news, students played instruments and performed sneak previews of Willy Wonka, Jr. at Sunrise Park Middle School's Community Dinner. Families and community members could enjoy food while listening to the performances. The fun can be seen in this video. Tickets for Willy Wonka, Jr. are on sale and can be purchased on this website.
Otter Lake Elementary students recently had a fun visitor in their classroom! White Bear grad and former Wild Hockey Player Ryan Carter stopped by and read students a book! They even got to ask Ryan questions about their career in the NHL. The fun experience was featured in this video. From one fun experience to the next, during Spring Break, middle school students were able to enjoy a Week Without Walls trip to Costa Rica. The fun opportunities they were able to experience can be seen in this video. In other fun news, congratulations to district students who were announced winners in the Minnesota State Clean Drinking Water Poster Contest this year! Birch Lake Elementary students Giorgia Luzia and Seanna Davis won third place, Otter Lake Elementary student Maya Link won second place and Sunrise Park Middle School student Elias Ramirez won third place! Check out the posters!
From art to Career Pathways, Entrepreneurship/Business Management students from WBLAHS - South Campus recently attended the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx 10th Annual Business Club Day at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Students and teachers from Minnesota and Wisconsin attended the annual event and it was a first for White Bear students. Students participated in sessions that highlighted various career paths within a sports franchise. Timberwolves and Lynx top-level executive team members presented on a variety of topics including: Sales and Marketing, Communications, Networking, NBA Gaming and The Business of Basketball. The interactive sessions allowed students to ask questions and learn about basketball operations. In more exciting career-focused news, Career Pathways student Anthony Schouveller recently enjoyed an opportunity getting hands-on experience by job shadowing at Techie Dudes. This is an organization that focuses on providing computer and networking services!
WBLAHS - North and South Campus students have been showing others how their shoes can help give back to others. They have been busy with a community shoe drive campaign for the Shoe Away Hunger Program, which keeps shoes out of landfills and provides hunger relief! The students were able to advocate for the great cause and learn about the impact they can make on eliminating local hunger, as the Shoe Away Hunger Program states, "one sole at a time." Other high school students have been busy preparing for Prom that will happen on Saturday, May 4! While Prom is almost here and spring is underway, district students, families and staff members recently had an interesting experience when they had a Snow Day in April! Check out the blustery weather in this video!
Hugo Elementary students had fun kicking off the PowerUp School Challenge by tasting delicious veggies that can be seen in this video. Elementary students throughout the district have been embracing this opportunity this school year! The PowerUp School Challenge is a fun way to get students excited to Try for 5 fruits and veggies every day! Speaking of wellness, community members were able to gather with their babies, birth to six months old, for the free Community Baby Shower! During this opportunity, community members could learn about ways to support and nurture their infant's health and development while getting information about community resources! White Bear Lake Area High School student Sophie Davis presented about the importance of resources to the Legislature, as they talked about the Race 2 Reduce Bill. The Race 2 Reduce Bill will aim to continue empowering students to be water warriors in a race to reduce inefficient use of precious water resources. Sophie discussed how water resources across the state have been negatively impacted by the rapid development and associated increased pumping of groundwater throughout the area. Sophie also went on to share how they have been empowered to make an impact both locally and globally regarding water conservation! Other students embraced opportunities by participating with staff members in the Urban Leadership Academy, which brings people together to focus on creating equitable and culturally responsive spaces for all students to learn!
Community members were able to recently participate in the last of the Many Faces of the White Bear Lake Area event. This collaborative introduced participants to the people who inhabited the area around the lake during various periods of time! The community involvement continued, as district representatives participated in the Northeast Metro Community Business Expo event and visited with others about White Bear Lake Area Schools! This is an event where community members could learn about businesses in the area, visit with organizations and enjoy free entertainment! It was an exciting time for two high school students! Abby Zavadil was elected secretary for the Minnesota Association of Student Councils State Executive Board and Nicole Agurto was elected vice president for the Capital Division Executive Board (which encompasses the largest division in our state). Congratulations and go Bears!
FLEX had their first annual dance and it was a huge success with more than 100 Central and Sunrise Park Middle School students attending! The dance was put on by the FLEX program with help from the Central Student Council. FLEX is the district's middle school program, providing after school programming during the school year, special events on some non-school days and full-day programming during the summer. Students had fun dancing, participating in a limbo contest and spending time with friends. In other exciting news, Bela Larsen and Victoria Wilson participated in a Youth Skills Training discussion where they spoke with a variety of people about their Career Pathways experiences, which included Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink, White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson and Senator Jason Isaacson. WBLAHS - South Campus students Bela Larsen, Victoria Wilson and Andre Keller were even recently interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio where they also shared stories about their Career Pathways experiences.
| Date |
Type | Time |
Location |
| April 22 |
Work-Study |
5:30 p.m. | District Center |
| May 13 |
Regular |
7 p.m. |
District Center |
| May 20 |
Work-Study |
5:30 p.m. |
District Center |
District News
Community Services
The White Bear Area Senior Center is a program of the White Bear Lake Area Schools Community Services & Recreation Department.
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