Community e-Newsletter

May 17 to Follow Regular Schedule

An upcoming Two Hour Late Start that had been scheduled to take place for students in grades 6-12+ on May 17 has been changed to a regular school day. Bus routes will run on their regular school day schedules as well. See complete information here.

In Photos: Hard Working Bears

Student News

Amazing Staff

Congratulations to Mark Domschot for being named the White Bear Lake Area Educators’ 2023 Teacher of the Year at this week’s Celebration and Recognition event. The social studies and AVID teacher at WBLAHS - North Campus was chosen from an impressive slate of six finalists. The exciting event was highlighted in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

WBLAHS - North Campus Kitchen Manager Natalie Sagdalen, who has worked for the district for 29 years, was surprised this week with the news that she was selected to receive the Minnesota School Nutrition Association Hero Award. Building and district colleagues gathered to honor her with the news which was captured in this video. 

White Bear Lake Area Schools has been awarded a grant of $122,000 through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety for the installation of stop arm cameras on all 36 school district buses. Data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety estimates drivers disregard stop arms, which are meant to help students cross the street safely as they get on and off the bus, more than 100,000 times in a given school year. Buses outfitted with a series of cameras will now be able to record a violator's car, their face and their license plate, so that if they drive through a stop arm they could have to pay a hefty fine. See additional information about School Bus Stop Arm Safety here.

School Bus

White Bear staff members recently played the roles of both students and teachers with colleagues around the United States at the BARR (Building Assets Reducing Risks) National Conference. Teachers, principals and other district leaders served on panels and led presentations, along with attending sessions to learn what others are doing throughout the nation to help students succeed.

collage of adults presenting

Learning Together

Students in the grades 3/4 pod at North Star Elementary were visited  by members of the Northwestern college women’s volleyball team, coached by Mr. Barnes. The college students taught the younger Bears how to hit a volleyball over the net, which can be seen in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". This was also the first time students and the players met after becoming pen pals last fall. 

WBLAHS - North Campus students experimented with force this week in their science class. Their lesson was highlighted in this video. Students built simple machine levers using meter sticks, then compared how much force and weight their levers could handle when they moved the fulcrum to different positions.

Students and their families gathered at Lincoln Elementary for the school's annual Carnival, sponsored by the PTA. This fundraising event included carnival games in all the classrooms and gym, food and raffle baskets. Each grade sponsored a themed basket with a grand prize basket including gift cards and donations from local businesses.

District Kudos

Three high school students recently competed in the MSHSL AA Speech Tournament. Jinet Demanou competed in Poetry, Sanyu Mwassa finished second in Serious Drama, and Mariam Elias-Danjuma was the State Champion in Serious Prose! This is the first time in WBLAHS history a White Bear student has been a state speech champion.

Several Sunrise Park Middle School students competed at the Minnesota State History Day competition in a number of different categories with four students qualifying for National History Day.  Aryanna Charles placed second for her project in the Individual Website division. Eleanor Hern, Juliette Weier-Rauscher andMaeve O'Brien's Group Exhibit placed first. 

Ten students from Otter Lake Elementary participated in the Math Masters of Minnesota Challenge in April.  The problem-solving competition included both individual and team components. Several students placed in the top 9 during the inmdividual problem solving round while one team placed second and another placed tenth on the team side. This year’s event included 70 student participants with 19 teams competing. 

The WBLAHS Adaptive Softball Team recently defeated Robbinsdale-Hopkins-Mound-Westonka 16-4. The Bears scored four runs in the first inning and continued their lead from there. The competition was covered in a video produced by a Northwest Suburbs media group. 

The White Bear Press highlighted last weekend's White Bear Lake Coed Invitational track meet. It was the first meet to be hosted at the new outdoor track facility at the current WBLAHS-North Campus. The meet follows another exciting first, with the Boys' and Girls' Track and Field teams playing host to an indoor meet in the new WBLAHS Field House earlier this spring. Find the highlights of the outdoor invitational meet here (Girls' Team highlight) and here (Boys' Team highlight).

WBLAHS grad Shawn Skrip Sr. was highlighted in the White Bear Press as the CEO for an ownership group that recently purchased Washington Square restaurant in Downtown White Bear Lake. Read more here.

 

Creative Bears

High School band students preformed their Senior Farewell concert last week in the South Campus Theater. There were small group performances, a percussion ensemble feature, solos, and large group pieces. Prior to the concert, students were captured in this video rehearsing for their event. 

Two students took home top honors during White Bear Center for the Arts' annual High School Visual Arts Contest. Natane Tom received the Award of Merit and Ethan Herrera received the Award of Excellence. View the work of all winners and participants here. The high school exhibit is on display through June 9.

April was Poetry Month, and to celebrate the Sunrise Park Middle School Poetry Club completed a project called "Poetry at your Place." They invited students throughout the district to submit videos of themselves reading their original poetry, which were compiled into this video. 

students reading poems

The WBLAHS’ Spring production of Clue, based on the iconic 1985 movie that was inspired by the classic board game, will take place at 7 p.m. each night May 31 through June 3. A 2 p.m. matinee will also take place on June 3. The show will take place at the Century College West Campus Theater. See the production poster here. Tickets will be on sale soon here.

Fun With Food

Otter Lake Elementary kindergarteners and first graders made a tasty spring-themed treat. Students crushed up Oreos to make gummy worm and dirt desserts. The fun activity was captured in this video.

Lincoln Elementary students and families enjoyed a different tasty treat last week. Fifth graders served ice cream during the book fair to help raise money for their overnight camp trip. The fundraising endeavor became a lesson in math and business. In preparation for the sale, students calculated how many ice cream scoops are in a gallon to properly estimate how many gallons they would need. 

Speaking of food, Willow Lane Elementary fifth graders “took over” local restaurant Donatelli’s in White Bear Lake last week by working as the cooks, servers and hosts over the lunch hour. Their hard work was highlighted in this video. Willow students will be at the restaurant from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. again on May 9th, 16th and 23rd. Stop by for terrific student service! 

 Activities Updates

The WBLAHS Baseball Team won 18-0 over North St. Paul in five innings last Tuesday. See additional details here. The WBLAHS Softball Team recently had a hard-luck loss to Park Center, described here. The Bears Track and Field Teams hosted their opening invitational meet last weekend, highlighted by the White Bear Press here (Girls' Team highlight) and here (Boys' Team highlight). Girls' Lacrosse defeated Forest Lake 18-4 at home last week. Find information here. Girls' Golf placed recently third in the White Bear Lake Invitational and fifth in the conference meet. See details here. Boys' Lacross recently defeated Mounds View 14-7, with details available here. The WBLAHS’ Spring Theatre production of Clue, based on the iconic 1985 movie that was inspired by the classic board game, will take place at 7 p.m. each night May 31 through June 3. A 2 p.m. matinee will also take place on June 3. The show will take place at the Century College West Campus Theater. See the production poster here.

This year White Bear Lake Area High School, along with every school in the Suburban East Conference (SEC) is going to online-only ticket sales for all varsity sporting events. All conference schools have partnered with Hometown Ticketing to make it easier for spectators. The easiest way to access our online tickets is by downloading the Hometown Ticketing App or you can access and purchase tickets to our home events by clicking here. An alternate way to view home games is by purchasing adult and/or student pass(es). 

Senior community members (age 65+) who live in the District are invited to participate in the Senior Activities Pass program and enjoy complimentary admission to most school activities. Find out how to receive your free pass here.

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

The Week in 62.4 Seconds

School Board News

Upcoming School Board Meetings

RSS Feeds Subscribe to Alerts
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

Apr. 24 Work Session

Apr. 10 Regular Session

Mar. 27 Work Session

View All News

group photo with Jim Galvin
Board approves naming of Galvin Court

Jim Galvin, long-time coach, teacher, and community member, has been honored by White Bear Lake Area Schools for his decades of service to the school community. The White Bear Lake Area School Board voted at its March 4, 2024 meeting to name the fully renovated White Bear Lake Area High School gymnasium “Galvin Court.”

White Bear Lake Area School District - ISD 624 Logo
District partners on important safety messaging

At December’s Regular School Board Meeting, representatives from the Be SMART awareness campaign and local law enforcement leaders presented information about a program developed to bring together parents and all adults concerned about kids, guns, and safety. The White Bear Lake Police Department, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and White Bear Lake Area Schools are teaming up to share an important message about proper gun storage and safety.

Calendars approved
Calendars approved

At the November 13, 2023 School Board Regular Meeting, the School Board approved the following calendars:

  • 2024-25 Academic Calendar
  • 2025-26 Academic Calendar
Board approves “Mariner Middle School” beginning Fall 2024
Board approves “Mariner Middle School” beginning Fall 2024

At the February 13, 2023 School Board Regular Meeting, the White Bear Lake Area School Board approved a committee’s recommendation to change the name of Sunrise Park Middle School when it moves from the Sunrise Park neighborhood to the current White Bear Lake Area High School - South Campus building in the fall of 2024. The new name, Mariner Middle School, is a nod to the District’s past.

Updated Strategic Plan Approved
Updated Strategic Plan Approved

At the August 8, 2022 School Board meeting, the Board heard an update of the District's Strategic Planning process and approved four updated strategies.

District News

General Information