Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Go Bears!

Student News

Congratulations Bears!

More than 700 White Bear students who have completed programs at Transition Education Center, the Area Learning Center and White Bear Lake Area High School were celebrated in ceremonies - including the district’s first outdoor graduation ceremony since 1983! Snippets from each event was captured in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". The WBLAHS graduation ceremony video is available on the Suburban Community Channels (SCC) YouTube channel. Photos from the district's graduation ceremonies have been posted as albums on the district's Facebook page:

• Transition Education Center (TEC) Graduation Ceremony photos
• Area Learning Center (ALC) Graduation Ceremony photos
• White Bear Lake Area High School (WBLAHS) Graduation Ceremony photos

Several grads also shared their thoughts about what "Being a White Bear Grad" means to them in this video. The White Bear Press also highlighted the ceremony. Congratulations to these students as they embark on their journey as graduates, and Go Bears!

Before crossing the stage to receive their diplomas, members of the class of 2025 visited their former elementary schools in their caps and gowns for the senior walkthrough event that happened across the district. Graduates connected with their former teachers while being congratulated by current elementary school students. The grads also spent time touring their old hallways, looking through yearbooks and reminiscing on their elementary school memories. The exciting activity was captured in a video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Our seniors were not the only students celebrated at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year. Fifth graders across the district were honored by fellow classmates, staff and their families during ceremonies recognizing the completion of their elementary education as they now prepare to enter middle school this fall.

The district's 2024-25 retirees were sent off in style during an event in their honor. The celebration recognized the employees for their combined 641 years of service to the district and community. Find a video honoring this year's retirees here.

District Kudos

The Bears Varsity  Softball Team participated in the State tournament where they finished fourth overall! Before boarding their bus, the team was sent off in style being cheered on by their fellow classmates, staff and members of the White Bear Lake Police department. Two team members also hit notable achievements during the tournament. Maddy Belisle was named to the Class 4A softball all-tournament team for her incredible hitting display and pitcher Lilly Martin recorded her 500th career strikeout. Her teammates celebrated the occasion by making signs and posing for a photo. The White Bear Press highlighted the team's State tournament run.

In other exciting news, Kendall Kotzmacher and Blake Eckerle, catchers for the White Bear Lake Area High School Varsity Softball and Baseball teams respectively, were named finalists for the Ms. Softball and Mr. Baseball awards. Read more about their honor here.

Congratulations to WBLAHS students Charlotte Cannon and Finnian McVeigh who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT! Two other students earned a 35 - Thomas Reese and Peter Tucker. Finnian also earned a 1500 on the PSAT/NMSQT - the highest possible score is a 1520. 

Members of the Boys' and Girls' Golf Team recently competed in the State Tournament at Bunker Hills. Easton Fiddle placed 19th overall, several spots up from when he competed in the tournament last year. The White Bear Press highlighted each team's successes. Read more about the boys' competition here and the girls' competition here. 

Five members of the WBLAHS Boys' and Girls' Track and Field Teams medaled at the State competition. Matthew Hunter placing fourth in discus, Tyrese Behnke placed fifth in the 110 hurdles, Tomi Animasaun was sixth in the long jump, Karen Enow placed seventh in shot put and Jinet Demanou was eighth in discus. Find more tournament highlights here.  

Two Mariner Middle School students competed in the National History Day competition June 8-12 at the University of Maryland. Riley Hopkins and Sydney Larson presented their project - Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: A Nation's Responsibility to Protect the Rights of Those with Disabilities. They qualified after being named State Champions during the Minnesota History Day competition. 20 of their classmates as participated in the State competition:

• Gia Alvar, Aubree Dowdle, Adrienne Klecker and Grace Newstrand - Third place, Lewis Hine: The Crusade Against Child Labor
• Sam Hager, Dylan Katainen, Mitchell St. Marin and Landon Walker - State Honorable Mention, Miranda v. Arizona: Government's Responsibility to Safeguard Rights of the Accused
• Sammy Hadley, Miles Lindgren and Nick Mersch - State Honorable Mention, The Voting Rights Act of 1965
• Will Jents, Jack Reese and Isaiah Shears - State Honorable Mention, Gideon v. Wainwright
• Isla Bloomquist, Elle Greeninger, Khloe Rigwald and Brielle Runningen - Furman v. Georgia
• Brody Bartlett - Jackie Robinson
• Maddie O'Connell - Brown v. Board of Education

Students of the White Bear Lake Area High School Automotive program had an opportunity to earn an industry-recognized credential through ALLDATA. The students participated in a 35-question certification test for a chance to become a Certified Automotive Information Specialist. Passing the certification test allows students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to use ALLDATA Repair at a professional level. When automotive instructor Derek Doescher was asked about this opportunity for students, Doescher said, "This is an awesome opportunity for our students. One of the most valuable skills I can teach my students is how to locate factual information, given the rapid advancement of the automotive industry. This certification allows my students to demonstrate to potential employers that they do this." Congratulations to the 35 students who passed this certification test and are now Certified Automotive Information Specialists. 

The district's Manitou Days Writing Contest winners' essays were recently published by the White Bear Press. Check out the students' award-winning essays here. Also - cheer on the students as they walk with the district float in Friday's (June 20) Manitou Days Grand Parade through downtown White Bear Lake!

The district recently received 2025 Awards of Excellence – the highest award possible – from the National School Public Relations (NSPRA) for the following Communications Department publications and projects:

• 2024 Annual Update
• 2024-25 Calendar
• Community e-Newsletter
• Fall 2024 Bear’s Bulletin
• Video Series - “The Week in 62.4 Seconds” videos
• Building Our Future - Impact on Teaching and Learning video

Exploring the Outdoors

Lincoln Elementary kindergartners wrapped up their lessons about communities and cities by taking a walking tour of downtown White Bear Lake. They stopped at different businesses and local town landmarks before ending at the Library to read a story with a librarian. See the learning and fun come to life in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Four members of the University of Minnesota Football team participated in various activities with Otter Lake Elementary students during an outdoor event! Students enjoyed playing basketball, volleyball, kicking soccer balls and so much more with Anthony Smith, Marcellus Marshall, Max Shikenjanski and Enoch Atewogbola. Check out the exciting afternoon activities in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Community members were seen in the White Bear Press enjoying the Bears Explore Outdoors event hosted by the district's Community Services and Recreation department. Attendees had fun fishing, playing lawn games, enjoying live music and so much more! The biggest hit was the bike raffle, where 85 donated bicycles found new homes!

Exciting Opportunities

Central Middle Schoolers brought their final geometry project of the school year to life in the Hippodrome. Students made inflatable objects that they could sit and stand inside! Students were given a certain amount of tape and material, which they had to calculate and cut accordingly to form their 3D object which included a star, towers and the letter "A".

North Star Elementary students put on a show for their classmates and teaches. Fifth graders teamed up with the first and second grade studio for the performance. The older students learned how to play a few songs on the ukulele while the younger students sang along. 

White Bear grad Caroline Grubs was highlighted in the White Bear Press for participating in the 2025 World Water Ski Show held in Australia. The article states she and her teammates earned their spots through a highly competitive selection process. Grubs also qualified for individual events during the overseas competition.

Every other year, a group of 10 - 20 German students and their teachers from F.-A.-Brockhaus-Gymnasium Leipzig travel to White Bear Lake in the fall for 14+ days and a group of 10 - 20 U.S. students and their teachers from White Bear Lake Area High School travel to Germany in the summer for 14+ days. This GAPP exchange between F.-A.-Brockhaus-Gymnasium Leipzig and WBLAHS was established in 1999 and continues today. A group of 10 students and 2 teachers from White Bear Lake Area High School recently traveled to Germany for 15 days as part of the GAPP Exchange. You can follow the students and teachers while they are away on Facebook: Join the group page WBL_Gapp or Instagram: WBL_GAPP.

Bears Giving Back

Mariner Middle School students teamed up with students from the neighboring 916 program to revitalize the Peace Garden. Students created the Peace Garden Club at the beginning of May to learn about the environment, gardening and conservation. Their main project has been restoring the Peace Garden to how it looked back when it was cared for by South Campus high school students. The group spent several weeks removing brush, pulling weeds, cleaning up the space and adding landscape elements. The goal is to make the Peace Garden a place for outdoor learning during the school year. 

Fourth and fifth graders at Otter Lake Elementary organized a Day of Service event before the school year ended. Students worked on different projects benefiting local organizations. Some of the projects included repacking diapers for the White Bear Lake Area Food Shelf, making cards for kids in the hospital, packing sandwiches for people in need and so much more!

After being nominated by a family member, Vadnais Heights Elementary teacher Mrs. Rider pledged to take the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for mental health. But she had one condition - her students would each need to master five targeted Math IXL skills. Working with a timeline and plenty of peer encouragement, the class rose to the occasion.  On May 30, the goal was met. In a celebratory event, the students doused Mrs. Rider with ice-cold water on the school grounds. But the day held more than just a reward. Mrs. Rider invited Nalee - the mother of former student - to the event to present a donation to her family after her daughter suffered an accident in 2023.

Mark Your Calendar

District representatives will be back this summer at Marketfest, which runs Thursdays, June 19 - July 31 in Downtown White Bear Lake. Stop by the district’s booth for pencils, bear paw tattoos and fun conversation! We'll sponsor Marketfest on July 10 for a White Bear Lake Area Schools Spirit Night. Fourth Street will be filled with district booths and activities. Please bring your friends and family, wear orange, and join us at 6:30 p.m. for the scheduled “Orange Out” photo!

 Activities Updates

The Bears Softball Team participated in the State tournament and finished in fourth place! Find tournament highlights and individual achievements here. The Bears Baseball Team were Section runner ups. Find game highlights here. The Boys Lacrosse Team also ended their season as Section runner ups. Read game highlights here. Kendall Kotzmacher and Blake Eckerle, both catchers for the varsity softball and baseball teams, were named finalists for the Ms. Softball and Mr. Baseball awards. Read more about the honor here. Members of the Boys' and Girls' Golf Team recently competed in the State Tournament at Bunker Hills. The White Bear Press highlighted each team's successes. Read more about the boys' competition here and the girls' competition here. Five members of the Boys' and Girls' Track and Field Teams medaled at the State competition. Find meet highlights here.  

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. 

Youth Enrichment Classes

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The Week in 62.4 Seconds

Enjoy seeing the last weeks of the 2024-25 school year, as highlighted in issues of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" videos. The videos, which highlight weekly district activities throughout the school year, will begin again this fall.

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School Board Student Recognition

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