A 375,000 square foot addition and renovations to WBLAHS North Campus will bring grades 9–12 under one roof. Photo: White Bear Lake Area Schools
This September, 9th through 12th graders at White Bear Lake Area High School (WBLAHS) are coming together under one roof with the opening of the new unified high school campus.
“We’re going to provide a more meaningful student experience,” says principal Russ Reetz. Because students aren’t experiencing so many transitions (especially the old shift between the 9–10 campus and the 11–12 campus), they’ll be able to build deeper relationships with peers and staff. “It always felt like we had to convince 9th and 10th graders that they were in high school,” Reetz says. “We can now really provide opportunities for students to experience joy and pride in where they go to school.”
Associate principal Joseph Held—who’s also a WBLAHS alum and parent of kids in the district—agrees that unification is a win-win for everyone in the community. “The process that led up to this involved so many stakeholders,” Held says. “From local businesses to teachers to parents and students—I’ve never been prouder of our community. We believe we’re better together. We didn’t just want a new building; we want to invest in the future of our kids.”
Reetz and Held say the decision to unify comes at the perfect time, capturing a moment when the district is growing quickly and young families want a more robust school experience for their kids.
Photo: Kraus-Anderson Construction
A New Flow
The biggest change students and staff will notice is the way the building flows. “The design was very intentional, so we could rethink teaching and learning and put students at the center,” Reetz says. In addition to traditional classroom space, the new high school has flexible furniture, common rooms, labs and other multiuse spaces. Students are assigned to a “learning studio,” and each day they’ll use an app to find out where their studio is set up for the day—maybe an instructional space, a media lab or a workshop. The career pathways model lets students follow a vocational track and potentially earn a certification in addition to their high school diploma. Hands-on learning spaces, like an auto shop and a medical clinic room, complement those pathways.
“It’s difficult to help nurture agency when students are sitting in a traditional four-wall classroom with no air conditioning,” Held says. “We want them to see themselves as creators of their own futures.”
Greater Opportunities
WBLAHS senior Sherie Lor was part of a student committee that provided input on the unified school design. “You can’t make a school happen without students,” she says. “I’m really excited to be unified. I’ll get to know the underclassmen, and we’ll be able to develop clubs and electives that we couldn’t before.”
Reetz echoes that. “We’ll be able to offer more experiences because we’ve consolidated resources,” he says. “More kids will be able to access more activities, and participation numbers will go up. That’s a real advantage of the four-year school.”
“It’s a place where everyone will really feel like they’re welcome and they belong,” Lor says.
Reetz is looking forward to seeing the whole school community come together in the new student union space. “It connects people,” he says. “We have ‘learning stairs,’ and I can’t wait to see how we leverage those spaces—send offs for state tournaments, music performances. There was never a better time for this change. Students will leave here with a sense of joy and pride.”
Learn more about the new campus at wblahs.isd624.org.
Facebook: White Bear Lake Area Schools
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