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In Photos:  Busy Bears!

Student News

Meaningful Activities

Criminology students at WBLAHS - North Campus received hands-on learning when they were tasked with solving a murder mystery! Criminology teacher Mr. Whalen set up a crime scenario in the Media Center. Students collected evidence, analyzed finger prints, hair samples and fake blood while performing lab work to figure out what happened. 

Sunrise Park eighth graders in Mr. Sundblad's manufacturing ed class took part in a hands-on activity. Thanks to a kit donation from Learn to Build, the students assembled bird feeders using the knowledge they have gained in class. See the student's hard work come to life in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" here.

Students in Normandy Park’s ECFE classes enjoyed a day of activities! They explored a variety of sensory materials in their classrooms such as play dough and fake snow. In the gym area, students were able to crawl into tents, wiggle through tunnels and try to complete an obstacle course! Get a closer look at this engaging activity in a recent video here.

Honors Language Arts students at WBLAHS-North Campus turned the media center into their own pop-up art gallery. They showcased their masterpieces which consisted of different forms of visual art, music, creative writing, and digital art all inspired by the Modernism Era of the early 1900s. The student's also included a QR code that when scanned displayed a presentation of the process they went through to create their art project. See the student's art work come to life in a recent video here.

The Sunrise Park Middle School band held their winter concert. They were joined by the high school drum line and South Campus Wind Ensemble. Each group performed a series of compositions before playing together as one large musical team. Watch a recap of the concert in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" here.

It was an exciting day for several Oneka Elementary students as they bundled up and headed outside for some wintertime fun! They took turns sledding down a hill by their school! 

students holding their sleds

Our youngest athletes, those in kindergarten, first and second grades, practiced their skills on the court at a basketball clinic offered through the district's Community Services and Recreation Department that began last weekend. Students dribbled and shot their way through an hour-long experience with former basketball coach Jim Galvin and other student and alumni coaches. Parent Brian Mahre was a familiar face, as he played for Mr. Galvin as a student at WBLAHS before graduating in 2001.

Learning Outside The Classroom

The Black Excellence Club at WBLAHS - South Campus was given a fun opportunity to learn and work with members of the Black Engineers Group of Medtronic. This Career Pathways event gave the students a chance to learn about a variety of STEM Careers available, as they think about their future career paths. This event was highlighted in a recent video here.

students listen to a presentation

During Willow Lane Elementary’s student-led summit, second through fifth graders focused on the theme of serving others. As part of that theme, the winning group from the fourth grade “Minnow Tank” project presented a check for $1,000 to their charity of choice, Hope Kids. The summit was featured in a recent video here. The "Shark Tank" style experience was also highlighted in the Star Tribune. Read the article here. 

students present a check to a charity as part of the student-led summit

Elementary students across the district are learning the importance of water safety through their lessons in partnership with the White Bear Area YMCA. Students are gaining confidence in the pool by practicing swimming different strokes, kicking and floating in the water. Watch this important lesson in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" here.

student floats on his back during water safety lesson

The January issue of the Career Pathways Newsletter includes information about donations and support for students from area businesses, including a highlight of a student's experience being hosted by a local IT service provider. It also includes a video featuring a donation from Northern Tool to our Engineering & Manufacturing and Construction Career Pathways at North and South Campus. Read about these stories and more here. 

Kindergarteners at Lincoln Elementary spent a beautiful winters day trying something new. Students strapped on snowshoes and explored Tamarack Nature Center taking in all the sites and sounds of nature. Check out the fun activity in a recent video here.

District Kudos

Congratulations to girls' basketball coach Jeremy Post who earned his 300th career win as the girls' head coach during a recent away game! Read the White Bear Press article highlighting his achievement here.

girls basketball coach earns 300th win

It's time once again to celebrate professional excellence as part of the White Bear Lake Area Educators’ Teacher of the Year program. The process begins with nominations from community members, parents, students and colleagues. Please take the time to nominate an exceptional teacher who goes above and beyond and who makes White Bear Lake Area Schools a great place to send our students every day. Nominations are open until February 11th, 2022, at 4:00 pm. 

The boys' and girls' Alpine Ski Teams each placed fourth among eight teams at two recent Suburban East Conference meets. Patrick Levins placed first in both of the all conference races. He also won the overall Wild Mountain invitational race in December out of 25 schools. Read the White Bear Press article highlighting his success and the team's achievements here.

Alpine Ski Team Success

The boy's swim and dive team took home a second place finish out of 12 teams at the Tartan Invite. Junior Amarre Zalazar was the overall winner of the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.42. Senior Aidan Cleary picked up two overall second place finishes in the 200 IM (2:15:94) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.93). Read the White Bear Press article highlighting the team's achievements here.

Former White Bear hockey stand-outs Ryan Carter and Jon Anderson revealed White Bear Township as the 2023’s Hockey Day Minnesota host city. Read the article by Minnesota Hockey highlighting the announcement here.

Former WBLAHS Hockey standouts reveal Hockey Day MN 2023 location

The WBLAHS Boys' Basketball Team held its annual Coaches Vs. Cancer event on Friday. The team raised $1200 for cancer research through the American Cancer Society. The event was highlighted by a halftime presentation from White Bear alumnus Brett Carlson, who spoke to the crowd about how he applied lessons learned playing and coaching basketball to his battle with cancer, and highlighted how each of us can play a role in someone else's story.

boys' basketbalfl team lined up for photo in gymnasium

 Activities Updates

The Boys and Girls Alpine Ski Teams each placed fourth among eight teams in the first two Suburban East Conference meets of the season. Read their article here. The Girls Basketball Team edged out Cretin-Derham Hall in a close match up. Read their article here. They also picked up their fifth straight win. Read their article here. The Boys Basketball Team gained a win over Mounds View. Read their article here. The team hosted their annual Coaches Vs. Cancer event last week, raising $1200 for cancer research. The Boys Hockey Team rallied for a 4-3 OT win over East Ridge in a recent game. Read their article here. They also took down Woodbury 6-1. Read their article here. The Girls Hockey Team took home a win against Anoka in overtime in a recent game. The Girls Gymnastics Team topped Cretin-Derham Hall, pushing their record to 4-1. The Bears Wrestling Team won 2 of 5 recent dual meets, highlighted by their win over Coon Rapids which was the first win over the team since 1992. The team also won 1 of 3 matches during a recent quad meet. Read their article here. The Boys Swim & Dive Team placed 2nd out of 12 teams at the Tartan Invite. Read their article here.

Along with season passes and punch cards, the WBLAHS Activities office is now offering digital ticketing to all regular season, home athletic events. Information is available here.  

Please contact the Communications Department (651-407-7695) to submit Student News for inclusion in future publications. 

The Week in 62.4 Seconds

Enjoy The Week in 62.4 Seconds videos highlighting weekly district activities throughout the school year.

School Board News

Upcoming School Board Meetings

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Community Room 112, District Center
School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
Community Room 112, District Center
School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
Community Room 112, District Center

Past Meeting Highlights

January 24 Work Session

January 10 Regular Meeting

December 13 Work Session

District News

General Information