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In Photos: Meaningful Interactions

Student News

Bears in the Spotlight

White Bear Lake Area High School students who are members of the Black Student Union (BSU) are helping to host a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast from 8-11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19 at WBLAHS in the Union. Students, staff and community members were captured in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" discussing final preparations. The event, planned in partnership with three local churches, has been an annual event in recent years. The event was also highlighted in a recent White Bear Press article. 

Lucas Hilgers and Irene Bakke were recently named White Bear Lake Area High School's winners of the Minnesota State High School League's (MSHSL's) Academics, Arts, and Athletics Award (commonly known as the Triple A Award). The award honors high school seniors throughout the state who have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and who participate in a variety of League-sponsored athletic and fine arts activities. Both WBLAHS students were chosen based on their extensive involvement in music and athletics, as well as their GPAs/AP/CIS course load. Read more about each student in this news story. 

Mariner Middle School staff, students and families gathered together to celebrate the school being named a Minnesota School of Excellence. The ceremony, which was highlighted in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds", featured student performances and a representative from the Minnesota Elementary Principals Association, who presented a plaque in recognition of the honor.

Several high school students have recently been mentioned in the news for impressive accomplishments. The Mothers Band trio, featuring seniors Holly Flood, Luisa Maruyama and Freya Sanders, where highlighted in a White Bear Press article as they record a studio album at the McNeely Music Center. Meanwhile, junior Ava Kehrer was crowned the new 56 kg Junior Female Pan American World Champion in December.

While on the ice, senior Maddie Lee, a member of the varsity Girls' Hockey Team, recorded her 100th career point! The goal was scored during a game against Shakopee where the team also went on to win 3-1. This fall, Maddie announced her commitment to further her academic and athletic career. She will be playing hockey at St. Cloud State University while studying to attain a degree in nursing. Meanwhile, junior goalie Macie Marston reached her 1,000 career save milestone!

Future Planning

Tenth grade Language Arts students are preparing for future careers by taking part in mock interviews. Currently, students are studying "language arts in the real world". During their lessons, they created cover letters and resumes and where able to apply their new found skills by practicing interviewing for jobs with help from district staff and community members. Through this activity, students had the opportunity to improve their professional communication skills and more. Watch their lesson come to life in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Throughout this trimester, Area Learning Center students have been dedicated to developing skill and confidence in writing. To conclude the unit, students are crafting Personal Brand Essays which are compelling narratives designed to articulate their unique strengths and professional skills to college admissions departments and prospective employers. See the students in action in this recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". 

As seen in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds", families of incoming 2026 kindergarten students joined us at elementary schools throughout the White Bear Lake Area School District to enjoy open house tours, where they were able to check out our buildings and programs in person. Families with incoming kindergarten students can find complete information and enroll online at www.isd624.org/enroll.

Central Middle School eighth graders are preparing for high school and learning about high school choir options during a recent field trip to WBLAHS. During 8th Grade Choir Day, students listened to several performances by the different high school choir groups and listened to the high school choir teachers explain how students can be a part of each group. They also conducted fun exercises and performed a song together.

Exciting Lessons

Students in Extended Day enjoyed a hands-on science experiment. They froze tiny treasures in cups and used salt, water, and plastic tools to excavate them. This experience was a fun way to encourage curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving.

Preschoolers across the district took part in a clothing unit last week. Students at Tamarack learned how clothing is made and had the opportunity to sew their own neck warmers to keep warm when playing outside. They also learned how different animals stay warm in the winter. Check out their exciting lesson in this video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". 

Otter Lake Elementary is celebrating “Otters for Others” during the 2025-26 school year. The school-wide initiative focuses on kindness, empathy, and compassion towards others in our school, families, community, and the world. Each month, students are enjoying different activities to go along with the theme. But the most exciting activity is the visit from the Kindness Cart. At the beginning of each month, several fifth grader volunteers push the kindness cart around the school passing out different games and challenges students can bring home or play at school to promote a sense of belonging, collaboration and kindness! This month, students were given a kindness bingo sheet to play with the families.

The winning team from Willow Lane Elementary's Minnow Tank projects presented their donation to their charity of choice. Team Homes for the Heart chose Habitat for Humanity. The other winning teams were: Team Good Night Sleep Tight (My Very Owen Bed) who placed second and Team Willow (Willow Advocates) and Team Wishing Well (Make-a-Wish) who both placed third.

Alumni in the News

1979 WBLAHS grad Connie Burda-Nicholson's 45-year career at Deluxe Corporation was recently highlighted in a White Bear Press article. In the piece, she attributes lessons she learned in offset printing and 35-mm photography courses in high school with landing the job with the company.

Three White Bear Lake Area High School grads and former hockey teammates are once again sharing the ice together as teammates for St. Cloud State men's hockey team. In a recent interview with St. Cloud Live freshman forwards Nolan Roed and Aiden Welch and defenseman Joe Belisle talj about their unique situation and share their excitement about playing Division I hockey together.

 Activities Updates

The Girls' Gymnastics Team placed third out of ten teams at the Princeton Invitational meet. The White Bear Press highlighted individual achievements and team successes. The Boys' Hockey Team secured two shutout wins, one against Woodbury and the other against East Ridge. Find additional game highlights in this White Bear Press article. The Girls' Hockey Team secured a win against Cretin-Derham Hall. Read more game highlights here. Two members of the Girls' Hockey Team were celebrated for reaching major career milestones. Senior Maddie Lee reached her 100th career point while junior goalie Macie Martson reached her 1,000 career save. The Girls' Basketball Team defeated Rochester Century in a recent matchup. The Boys' Swim &b Dive Team placed third out of seven teams at the Tartan/North St. Paul Invite. The White Bear Press highlighted individual achievements. A game recap can be found in this White Bear Press article. Irene Bakke and Lucas Hilgers were named WBLAHS's winners of the Minnesota State High School League's Triple A Award. Read more about each recipient in this news 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.

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