White Bear Lake Area High School

White Bear Lake Area High School (abbreviated WBLAHS) is a high school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, United States. The school was formed by merging White Bear High School (WBHS) and White Bear Mariner High School in the 1983–84 school year. It currently consists of two campuses and an alternative learning center. North Campus houses grades nine and ten, while South Campus serves grades eleven and twelve, and also contains a special education section separate from the high school. WBLAHS is the only school in the state of Minnesota—and one of only two in the entire country—with grades 9-10 and 11-12 in different buildings.

North Campus

North Campus, the previous White Bear High School, is located in the north side of White Bear Lake, north west of downtown White Bear Lake, and was built in 1964. The school houses students grades 9-10. The campus features some unique architectural design elements, including circular hallways.

South Campus

What is now known as South Campus was built in 1971 and opened late in the Summer of '72 as White Bear Mariner High School. In contrast to North Campus, South's floor plan was originally open, consisting of only minimal walls between classrooms. In 1983, upon merging with White Bear High School, the building was remodeled to hold grades eleven and twelve, and a more traditional design was achieved by adding interior walls throughout.^[1] The building has since been expanded multiple times. In early 90's ten classrooms were added in the southeast corner of the building. A weight room and fitness center was added in 2005. The Mariner Theater stage was renovated in 2010, converting the space from a lecture hall/small stage theater to an acoustic venue worthy of housing White Bear's award winning vocal and instrumental programs.

The South Campus houses a self-contained secondary special education school, operated and owned by Intermediate District 916 North East Metro School District, as well as special education classrooms. This facility was renovated in 2009.

Alternative Learning Center

Housed in the former Golfview Elementary, a few blocks away from South Campus, is White Bear Lake's alternative secondary program. This school houses secondary students grades 10 - 12 who are unable to participate in a traditional high school environment, including those who are not achieving to their potential, are parents, or have a day job. The building also contains the Insight program, a curriculum designed for students recovering from drug abuse and addictions.^[2]

Athletics

Cheerleading

The White Bear Lake Cheer team took first in the Minnesota State Cheer off in 2010 and 2012. They also won the NCA Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky in 2012 and 2013.

Football

White Bear High School won the Minnesota State Class AA Football Championship in 1976. Coached by Fred Konrath, the team posted a 12-0 record and finished the season with a 14-13 overtime win over Cloquet. The team held opponents to an average of less than one touchdown per game. As the only undefeated large school class (AA) football team in Minnesota, the 1976 Bears received a ranking of No. 17th in the Nation.^[3] White Bear Lake has developed and maintained a strong tradition of football from its youth leagues through its High School. After 19 years under Bob Jackson running the option, Ryan Bartlett took over coaching in 2012 leading a spread offense. The team still yet to recover from Bartlett's poor performances.

Basketball

The varsity basketball team won Minnesota state titles in 1984 and 1985, posting identical 26-0 records in both seasons, and beating Minneapolis North High School in both finals. The fifty-two game win streak came to an end in the first game of the 1986 season with a loss to conference rival Woodbury High School.

In 2009, the Girls' Basketball team competed in the state tournament but lost in the first round, in the 2009-2010 season the bears went undefeated 18-0 in the conference and finished 2nd in the state. In the 2010-2011 season the bears finished in the number one spot in the conference.

Hockey

AWBLAHS has never won a first-round game in the State High School Hockey Tournament either as WBL HS or its current iteration, a streak that as of a loss in the first round of the 2011 tournament stood at 0-18. WBLAHS did take the consolation championship in 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2005. Mariner HS did advance to the 1982 Minnesota State Hockey Championship game where they were beaten by Edina High School, 6-0. White Bear Lake and Hill Murray, a local private school, have a long-standing rivalry in hockey. Some consider it amongst the most heated high school rivalries in the nation. In 2011, Hill-Murray was ranked first in the state and the nation entering the section tournament. In a game that will be remembered as one of the greatest in the rivalry, White Bear defeated Hill-Murray 5-4 in double overtime in front of a capacity crowd to earn its first state tournament appearance since 2005.

Lacrosse

The 2007 boys Lacrosse team won the MBSLA State Championship with an undefeated season going 15-0.^[4] The Bears outscored their opponents with an impressive 199 to 46 goal differential.^[5] 2007 was the first year that the Minnesota State High School League recognized Lacrosse as a state sanctioned sport leaving it up to the individual school districts to determine whether or not it was feasible to enter the MSHL. Prior to the 2007 year each high school team played in the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MBSLA), White Bear Lake Area H.S. officials cited budgetary issues as the reason for waiting to officially join the MSHL in 2009. The 2007 State Champions were anchored by a cohesive group of seniors who had been playing together since they started the first ever White Bear Lake Lacrosse team in 2001/02 as 7th graders, with additional contributions from a handful of underclassmen. After paying their dues as provisional team in 2004, the Bears officially entered the MBSLA for competition in 2005. Brandon Husak, a Roseville Area High School graduate and State champion in 2001 and 2002 has been the coach of the boys program since 2002/03. Since the Bears first year of High School competition in 2005 Coach Husak has posted an outstanding record of 102 wins and 30 losses and most Recently Coach Husak led the Bears to the MSHL State semi-finals in 2013.^[6]

Track and Cross Country

• People
  • 2013: current head coaches include Dan Kovacich, boys cross-country; Patti Percival, girls cross-country; Tom Paulson, boys track & field; and Richard Samuelson, girls track & field.^[7]
• Milestones
  • 2010: The White Bear Lake 4x200 meter relay placed in the State Meet in 2008 (6th), 2009 (1st), and 2010(1st). In 2010 they also set a new all time state record with a time of 1:27.63.
  • The White Bear Lake track and cross country teams have also won many state championships.

Golf

The Boys Golf team has also won the 1971, 2000 and 2004 State Championship with Grant Lissick (2000) and Andy Paulson (2004) winning the individual titles. The 2004 State Championship came with the distinction that all of the players hailed from public (rather than private) courses.

Archery

The White Bear Lake Archery team has won the state tournament for Minnesota in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

The White Bear Lake Archery team has competed in the National tournament held in Kentucky since 2004. The team ranked 40th of 192 high school teams in 2015, with notable performances by juniors Calvin Denker and Maddie Chaplin, and senior Corey Lendway, who all placed within the top one percent of the 12,045 archers competing. Calvin, Maddie, and Corey achieved the very same feat in 2014 when their team placed 30th of 164 high school teams.

The archery team has been lead previously by state female champion Sam Smith in 2010 and state male champion Calvin Denker most recently in 2016. Former White Bear Lake teammate Welsey Joarnt became the first ever Minnesotan to win the overall state competition two years in a row, in 2014 and 2015, yet competed with St. Croix Preparatory Academy for the record.

Bowling

• The White Bear Lake Bowling Team won the state title in 2005, led by co-captains Steven Hodgson and Jeff Lunda, who were on Minnesota's top 75 High School Bowlers list that same season. White Bear Lake also posted a state championship in 2008. It had two top 6 athletes in the state in 2009, being Neil Cooley and Austin Jahnke.

Notable athletes

• Bill Butters (University of Minnesota and NHL)
• Justin Braun San Jose Sharks (NHL)
• Brian Bonin (1996 Hobey Baker Award winner and 1992 Minnesota Mr.Hockey award winner)
• Tony Benshoof (Olympic luge)
• Matt Henderson (University of North Dakota and NHL hockey)
• Ryan Carter Minnesota State-Mankato hockey (NHL 2007 Stanley Cup Winner)
• Dennis Fee Track & Field, held the two mile record of 9:02 set in 1972 for over 20 years. (Minnesota State H.S. League)

References

External links

• White Bear Lake Area High School