Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Wrapping up the School Year

Student News

Important Lessons

In recognition of today's Juneteenth holiday, celebratory events took place across the community that included WBLAS students. Two White Bear Lake Area High School Speech Team students performed during the White Bear Center for the Arts' "Speak the Truth" event which highlighted visual and performance style art by artists of color in the community. A video of the event can be found here. Many Faces, a consortium that includes the district and a number of other community organizations, also held a celebration of freedom event on June 14 which included food, music and entertainment. 

 

As school was wrapping up, fourth and fifth graders in the Kodiak neighborhood at Vadnais Heights Elementary transformed their gym into a museum. Students researched historical and pop culture figures than dressed up like them and posed as wax figures. Students' families and other classes were invited to the museum to hear all the different facts students learned about their chosen person.

Central Middle Schoolers brought their final projects to life in the District Center Community Auditorium. Students made inflatable objects in their geometry class. They were given a certain amount of material and had to calculate and cut the shapes accordingly to form their 3D objects which included a heart and pyramid. 

Outside of the school buildings, there's a new mural in downtown White Bear Lake that showcases work done by incoming senior Meg Peterson. Meg was also helped by a crew of high school classmates. Learn more about the meaning behind the artwork in this White Bear Press article.

 

Send-offs!

Graduates from the district’s Area Learning Center, Transition Education Center programs, and  White Bear Lake Area High School were honored at graduation ceremonies earlier in June. Some of the graduation ceremonies were captured in a video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". Congratulations, Class of 2022!

Before they walked across the stage and received their diplomas, members of the Class of 2022 visited their former elementary schools in their cap and gown. The senior walkthrough event happened at schools across the district. Graduates connected with their former teachers while being congratulated by current elementary school students. The fun event was highlighted in this video.

Bear also wants to congratulate the Class of 2022 and wish them the best of luck in the future! With summer break in full swing for all students across the district, Bear hopes everyone has a safe and healthy summer break! We look forward to seeing everyone this fall for the 2022-23 school year!

The district's 2022 retirees were sent off in style with a luncheon in their honor. The celebration honored the employees for their combined 480 years of service to the district and community. Find a video honoring this year's retirees here.

Outdoor Fun!

Central Middle School eighth graders visited Podvin Park for a fun activity. Students flew kites and launched rockets they made in their science and math classes as part of their final projects of the school year. See their projects come to life in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Fifth graders at Lincoln Elementary released trout into Browns Creek in Stillwater during their last week of school. It was captured in this video. Students had been raising trout in their classroom since winter, after they visited the creek in the fall to learn about different species of trout and their ecosystem.

Extended Day students at Matoska International celebrated the first week of summer vacation with a cookout! Students enjoyed a picnic complete with hotdogs, chips, carrots and juice boxes. 

We are excited to be back at Marketfest in downtown White Bear Lake for six weeks of fun, which started on June 16. Find our orange tent and booth to say hello, pick up a pencil, a temporary tattoo and enjoy this Thursday evening summertime tradition with us again on June 23. 

The WBLAHS Marching Band has been hard at work during their first days of summer, meeting at District Center each day in preparation for upcoming parades. One family in the neighborhood stopped to enjoy their very own "parade" - complete with applause at the end of the musical piece. Other members of the community enjoyed the music when the group performed at Friday's Manitou Days Parade. Student groups will be featured on stage this summer at Marketfest. A student combo, "The Misfitz," will play on June 23 and the Pep Band will be on the Marketfest stage on July 7.

Making a Name for Themselves

The WBLAHS softball team finished fourth in the MSHSL State tournament. Their journey through the tournament was featured in this article. This was the Bear's first state appearance since 2002, after they clinched the Section 4AAAA title. The White Bear Press highlighted the impressive accomplishment in this article. Pitcher Chloe Barber was also named the East Metro Player of the Year. Read the full article from the Pioneer Press here

The WBLAHS Boys and Girls Track and Field teams had an excellent showing at the State meet. For the boys, Ernie Mattson placed 3rd in the 1600 and 8th in the 3200. Arthur Perron also placed third in the 110 high hurdles. Taking fifth place was the Bears 4x100m relay team of Caleb Anderson, Eli Ebbert, Gavin Rogers and Jontay Vaulx. On the girls team, Oreowula Olusi placed 7th in discus and 8th in shot put while Katelyn Porter placed 8th in the 800m race. Find more highlights from the meet in this White Bear Press article

The WBLAHS boys and girls golf teams wrapped up their seasons with a State tournament showing by Ryan Jamieson, Gianna McLeod and Kristina Pratt. This followed an impressive Section 4AAA meet with each team placing third. Read the boy's White Bear Press article here and the girl's article here

Three WBLAS alums made the podium at the USA Games for the Special Olympics. Logen Dupey (2017 grad), Bekah Thom (2014 grad), and Patrick Helders (TEC grad) competed on Unified Minnesota Bocce teams. The Special Olympics have begun a Unified component that pairs people with and without disabilities on the same team. Thom and her cousin, Abby Neeser, won gold for their division in Unified Doubles. Thom also took gold in the MN Women’s Unified Team event. Dupey and Helders placed fourth in Unified Doubles and were apart of the MN Men's Unified Team that took bronze. 

WBLAHS sophomore Lily Pederson continues to soar in the world of gymnastics. She emerged as one of 12 age-group national champions at the USA Gymnastics meet held May 10-15 in Mesa, Arizona. Read the full White Bear Press article on her accomplishments here

Add to your Calendar

The Senior Center is hosting the Manitou Art & Craft Fair and another Food Truck Friday event on June 24. If you're an artist looking to participate in the fair, find information about how to register here. Swing by for some community fun, food, art and entertainment from 1-7 p.m. in the Senior Center parking lot!

The Senior Center and Willow Lane Elementary are Farmers Market sites this summer. The Markets are sponsored by the White Bear Area Food Shelf and are open to all. 

 

Free summer meals are now available for pick-up for any child age 18 and under at locations across the district. This community opportunity is sponsored by the White Bear Lake Area Schools Nutrition Services. Dates are subject to change. Find serving times and additional sites around the state here

 Activities Updates

The WBLAHS Softball Team placed fourth in the State Tournament. Find highlights here. The Boys Track and Field Team had several athletes medal at the State Meet. Read about their accomplishments here. The Girls Track and Field Team had two athletes medal at the State Meet. Read their article here. Girls Golf teammates Gianna McLeod and Kristina Pratt competed at the State tournament. Ryan Jamieson represented the Boys Golf Team at the State tournament. Read his 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

School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
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

May 9 Regular Meeting

May 23 Work Session

June 13 Regular Meeting

District News

General Information