Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Winter Adventures

Student News

Acts of Kindness

One of the winning teams from Willow Lane Elementary's Minnow Tank projects presented their donation to their charity of choice. Team Good Night Sleep Tight, who placed second, chose My Very Own Bed as their charity. The team presented to their classmates and the founder of the non-profit, Michael Allen, who also answered questions from the fourth graders. The other winning teams were: Team Homes for the Heart (Habitat for Humanity) who placed first and Team Willow (Willow Advocates) and Team Wishing Well (Make-a-Wish) who both placed third.

Otter Lake Elementary Student Ambassadors collaborated and connected with their mentors to wrap up 2025 before heading into Winter Break. They played a friendly game of Tenzi - where the goal is to get all ten dice to be certain numbers the fastest - while enjoying fun conversations and plenty of laughs! Their activity was highlighted in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". Speaking of collaborations, the Senior Center hosted their annual Holiday Lunch. The event brought in a large crowd eager to enjoy the delicious meal and lively conversation with fellow members and friends!

White Bear grad Will Bush was able to pull off the surprise of a lifetime to one of his younger brothers Charlie. Will is in the Army and stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado but was assigned to serve at a base in Texas for the past year. Accompanied by his parents, Ben and Linsey, and brother Lucas who is a senior at WBLAHS, they stopped by Mariner Middle School for a surprise reunion between Will and Charlie (a 7th grader). The family is excited to spend two weeks together over the holidays before Will returns to his base.

Future Thinking

Central Middle School eighth graders participated in a Career Fair thanks to a partnership with the high school’s Career Pathways Program. As seen in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds", students visited dozens of booths, speaking with industry partners and professionals about their daily tasks, job requirements and more! This event was a great opportunity for students to learn about various career opportunities and gain some real world knowledge.

After a successful inaugural event last year, White Bear Lake Area High School juniors explored future possibilities during a “2025 Test Drive...Next Stop Reality” hosted by the Career Pathways program and Royal Credit Union. With the help of approximately 200 volunteers, students learned how to maneuver through financial decisions for items like housing, insurance and food based on a career field and salary they chose. Students left the activity with a new understanding of how to navigate different real-world situations and insights about which direction they want to go after high school.

Third graders at Vadnais Heights Elementary learned about artificial intelligence and coding today! We explored different forms of AI and played games to practice working with it - including using coding to make a cartoon dance video and making AI guess what we are drawing. Watch their lesson come to life in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Talented Bears

High school music students showcased their talents to fifth graders across the district, as they prepare for middle school registration. Band, orchestra and choir members performed different pieces and songs and answered questions about the three music options the future sixth graders can choose from. See snippets from their tour in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". Several students from Mariner Middle School also took center stage for the first annual Talent Show! Classmates and families packed the theater cheering on each act who also performed in front of judges.

Central Middle School students are having fun getting creative in the new art room, located in the renovated portion of the building that came online this year. As seen in this recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds", students made a vase or planter pinch pots. They experimented with textures and design before selecting a glaze color and adding their creation to the kiln.

A sports photography class at White Bear Lake Area High School, which debuted at the start of the school year, was recently highlighted in the White Bear Press. The article features several student testimonials - all expressing their interest in photography and excitement about getting to learn a new skill. The White Bear Press also recently highlighted the Brosious Grants awarded by the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation. Ten grants totaling more than $17,400 were given to 18 White Bear Lake Area School District teachers.

Exciting Achievements

The high school Girls’ Gymnastics Team hosted their first home dual meet in their new space on December 10. The facility, located at the renovated Sunrise Park building, is a Building Our Future bond project and serves as a true “home gym” for our team – as the equipment no longer needs to be assembled and taken down after each practice. The JV team won with 118.1 points and the varsity won with 131.25 points, both season best scores! Watch moments from their meet in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". 

The White Bear Lake Area High School Boys' Swim & Dive Team won their home opener and first conference meet of the season. They defeated Park High School 97-87. Some of the top finishers for the Bears were Benedict Hoefer who won both the 200 and 500 freestyle, Dylan Allshouse won the 100 backstroke and Finnian McVeigh won the 100 breaststroke . The White Bear Press captured additional highlights from the meet. 

Three Central students had a great showing in the annual 4th District Recognition Program for the VFW's Patriot's Pen Essay Contest. Camille LeBoeuf (far left) won first place and is now competing in the State competition! Hannah Zollinger (center) placed second and Brody Dickinson (far right) received an Honorable Mention Award. The theme of this year’s contest was "How are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Your Country?" 

Winter Activities

Elementary students across the district are enjoying the snow and getting outside! Several students were captured exploring snow hills, making snow sculptures and having fun together!

Transition Education Center is celebrating all things winter with Winter Wonderland activities to engage students and promote a sense of community. Students and staff worked together to decorate doors for a contest while also enjoying themed dress up days, movies and hot chocolate throughout the week. Students capped off the week of festivities with an all-school dance!

Willow Lane Elementary Extended Day students enjoyed a hands-on activity making a snow like material! They made oobleck - a tougher, slime like texture. Students had so much fun mixing, squishing and experimenting together!

A community event that usually takes place outdoors has moved indoors - and into the White Bear Lake Area High School Union to be exact - this winter. Those who have haven't gotten to experience the indoor White Bear Lake Winters Farmers Market, featuring more than 30 local food vendors, still have the opportunity to catch markets at the high school from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 10 and Feb. 14. Find additional info and photos in this White Bear Press article.

 Activities Updates

The Boys Swim & Dive Team won their home opener and first conference meet of the season over Park High School. The White Bear Press captured additional highlights from the meet. The Gymnastics Team also won their home opener in their new space with the JV scoring 118.1 points and the varsity scoring 131.25 points. The Girls Basketball Team topped Park High School. Find additional game highlights in this White Bear Press article. The Boys Basketball Team also secured a win against Woodbury. Read game details in this White Bear Press article. 

Hudl Ticketing is the exclusive provider of online tickets for all of our White Bear Lake Area High School home regular season athletic ticketing needs. Find games and purchase tickets 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. 

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

2025 Building Our Future Video Update

The 2025 update of the district’s Building Our Future facilities projects – made possible by our community’s support of the 2019 bond referendum – is now available on the district’s YouTube channel. This marks our sixth annual video update to the school community. This year’s video highlights work completed last summer at our middle schools and showcases ongoing construction that will allow the Early Childhood and Transition Education Centers to be housed at Sunrise Park beginning in Fall 2026.

Additional updates and information about the Building Our Future facilities projects can be found at isd624.org/BuildingOurFuture.

District News

General Information