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One Hundred Twenty Years
White Bear Lake Area High School Graduation Remarks
Find additional photos of the graduation ceremonies here:
This is always a bittersweet time of year as we congratulate and say goodbye to another memorable class. On Friday, June 10 roughly 600 WBLAHS graduates took the stage at Aldrich Arena to receive their diploma. District staff and classmates addressed the graduates during this celebration, sharing memories and best wishes on their journey beyond White Bear. After a series of auditions, graduates Kyra Renner, Tessa Takash, Justin Smith and Peyton King were selected to speak at this year's commencement. While receiving their diploma is already a notable accomplishment, some graduates were individually recognized. Principal Tim Wald personally handed out this year's Bear Awards to three graduates: Allison DiSera received the 2016 Service Award, Madison Kephart received the 2016 Leadership Award and Ethan Beauclaire received the 2016 Service Award. 
Prior to the WBLAHS graduation celebration, our Area Learning Center celebrated the graduation of 64 of its students. These graduates were from the ALC Program, Insight Recovery School and the ALC's Independent Study Program. Toward the beginning of this year's graduation ceremony, graduate Shaquita Peters blew everyone away with her vocals, singing the song "A Change is Gonna Come." Following her jaw-dropping performance, graduates Kayla Hernandez, Amanda Welsch and Gabrielle Schaeffer shared remarks and well wishes to the audience and their fellow classmates. All of the graduates were then awarded their diplomas by their advisers, who shared the students' strengths, successes and future plans. Some of the graduates received individual honors as well. Kayla Hernandez was named the 2016 Academic Achiever; she, along with Savanah Burg-Heller, Mary English, Christina Florez and Gabrielle Schaeffer were also honored at the district's Excellence Event for their academic achievements. Scholarships were also awarded during the graduation celebration; this year's STRIVE Century College Scholarship recipients were Kayla Hernandez and Alicia Schaefer. Schaefer also received this year's Lion's Club scholarship. Graduates Jada Sawatzky and Travis Telschow were named the Northeast Metro 914 Career/Technical Center Outstanding Students of the Year.
Also during the final week of school was the Transition Plus commencement, where eleven students celebrated graduation. Like the ALC, this graduation ceremony is unique in that every graduate is highlighted individually. Transition Education Center staff called up each graduate to the front of the stage to be recognized and shared their individual accomplishments and future aspirations. This year's keynote speaker was Lincoln Elementary Principal Dan Schmidt, who is a familiar face to many Transition Plus students who participate in work-based learning opportunities at Lincoln. Following his remarks, was this year's Farewell Address given by 2016 graduate Mao Yang. Yang is well known in the District as a talented writer, and proved it once again during her recent address which moved many in the crowd to tears. (You can read her entire speech
As an annual tradition during their final days of their high school career, WBLAHS seniors are invited to take part in Senior Service Day - a chance for them to give back to the community that's supported them during their time at White Bear. More than one-hundred 2016 graduates packed the football bleachers for a class picture and breakfast, then divided into groups to conquer the service tasks assigned to them. This year's activities included doing some landscaping at WBLAHS - South Campus, creating Relay for Life luminaries, adopting a highway and sorting greeting cards. Senior Service Day is a highlight for many students and a great opportunity for them to express the District's Core Value of Service before beginning the next chapter of their lives.
Central Middle School students also wrapped up the school year with a successful service project called Pennies for Patients - a fundraiser for those battling Leukemia. Students were given three weeks to bring in as much change as possible to their homebase classes. The fundraiser was then concluded with a school-wide walk (pictured) to bring students together and to get them outside and moving. Throughout the duration of the fundraiser, students and teachers were very encouraging. This fundraiser also hit home for Central students, as one of their peers has battled Leukemia himself. In all, Central students raised nearly 600-dollars during the fundraiser.
Birch Lake students participated in a very unique environmental project recently, releasing beetles to conquer an invasive species along area lakes. The Rice Lake Project Committee, established by the White Bear Preserve Condominium Association, received a grant to control the invasive plant Purple Loosestrife on Rice Lake. It's a harmful and very hardy invasive perennial, which degrades wetlands, diminishing their value for wildlife habitat. A bag of loosestrife shoots with attached beetles was delivered to Heidi Walsh's fifth grade class at Birch Lake Elementary School. The students enjoyed observing the beetles as they helped to eliminate the Purple Loosestrife. The students then helped to stuff and seal envelopes for informational mailings which were sent out to the neighbors of Rice Lake. This project fit well with the students unit at the time, as they had been working on invasive species reports. The information they learned from this opportunity was very exciting and it prompted some really great questions. Birch staff say the final reports will be posted on Birch Lake'swebpage soon.
Central Middle School students in Molly Vadnais's eighth grade class have been using Artist Trading Cards to collaborate with students locally and across the world. Most recently, they collaborated with students in Lincoln Elementary School's Explorations Program, who came over to Central to create their own trading cards and exchange them in person. Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are miniature pieces of self-made artwork that are roughly the size of playing cards. Artists often create, trade and collect art at organized "swap" events, either in person or online. Central eighth grade students recently sent some of their cards to students at a school in the United Kingdom and have been told some of their work will be displayed at a show out there.
The White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation provided a BEAR Legacy grant to try out a program called Books on a Bus at Vadnais Heights Elementary this year. The idea came about after a district staff member saw a photo of this program being used on buses in Oregon. Essentially, special covers are designed to fit over the back of the school bus seat to hold books for students to read while riding to and from school. Vadnais Heights bus route #131 was chosen to try out the seat covers first.
| Date |
Type | Time |
Location |
| June 13 |
Regular |
7 p.m. |
District Center |
| July 11 |
Regular |
7 p.m. |
District Center |
| August 8 |
Regular |
7 p.m. |
District Center |
The White Bear Area Senior Center is a program of the White Bear Lake Area Schools Community Services & Recreation Department.