Expanded Minnesota High School Unifies Student Body, Embraces Sustainability

By Fay Harvey

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — After six years of planning, renovation and building, the state-of-the-art White Bear Lake High School has officially re-opened its doors to faculty, staff and students. Part of a $326-million districtwide facilities project, the expanded school merges modernity and practicality to bring White Bear Lake District’s vision of future-focused education to life. 

Community Voices  

In 2018, St. Paul, Minn.-based Wold Architects began working with White Bear Lake School District to conduct a facilities planning assessment. A 90-member planning committee composed of community members, staff members and students was created to review facilities-related ideas, priorities and solutions, focusing on capacity, location and general improvements. A final facilities plan was adopted by the district school board and was approved by voters in November 2019.  

The previous White Bear Lake High School campus was split between lower and upper grades. For the past 40 years, 9th and 10th graders attended school at the North Campus, while 11th and 12th grader students studied at the South Campus four miles south. In collaboration with the district and Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction, Wold Architects developed a plan to unite all students in a single facility. This involved significant additions and renovations to the existing 9th and 10th grade buildings, while also reimagining how students and faculty would experience education and teaching. 

“This project is about more than just a building — it’s about creating a future for our students that reflects the values and voices of our community,” said Wayne Kazmierczak, superintendent at White Bear Lake Area Schools. “By uniting all of our high school students and staff under one campus, we’ve created an environment where collaboration, growth and opportunity thrive. This school ensures that our students are not only prepared for today but are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow, and we’re proud to be in a space that honors our past while embracing the potential of our future.” 

The Campus Experience 

The project as a whole spans 285,000 square feet of renovated space and 375,000 square feet of new construction. The remodeled three-story building now holds a capacity of 3,200 students and accounts for anticipated enrollment growth.  

The design creates open, flexible spaces that empower students to take charge of their educational experience. The malleable environment fosters a sense of innovation and separates the spaces from traditional classroom concepts. Interconnected classrooms, or Learning Studios, house flexible seating arrangements for students to create their daily environment and also house career pathway programming for students. Specialty labs are sprinkled throughout the building.  

“The new Learning Studios, collaborative areas and dynamic seating options reflect a forward-thinking vision for how education can adapt to meet the needs of every student,” said Paul Aplikowski, partner at Wold Architects. “This school stands as a testament to the community’s commitment to fostering innovation, engagement and lifelong learning, and we are honored to have played a role in bringing that vision to life.” 

Athletics and physical fitness were heavily considered in the campus design, with the addition of multiple artificial turf athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, and a 5,500-seat stadium with a ten-lane track. A five-station athletics field house with a 200-meter track sits to the side. Nearby, a student commons area was created for dining and learning to further unify the various grades.  

A new 845-seat Performing Arts Center was the last campus addition. Inside the auditorium, Commercial Drywall Inc. installed curved walls and suspended sound clouds to ensure volume levels and sound remains controlled and pristine. 

Located near a residential area, the campus includes designated areas for vehicle traffic to maximize space and comply with Central Middle School, which shares the transportation area.  

Sustainable Planning  

While the outdated facility was upgraded with modern amenities and spaces, the foundation and history of the building were kept intact, supporting sustainability by eliminating the need to completely tear down and rebuild. Several other intentional sustainability initiatives — focused on energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, water conservation — were considered throughout the planning and construction phases to maintain the district’s green goals.  

“During the design process, we made construction decisions that would drive purposeful changes in our learning practices,” said Kazmierczak. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that the benefits we anticipated are truly being realized. Student feedback about the new spaces consistently highlights aspects we identified as best-case outcomes during planning and decision making. These future-focused spaces are meeting the needs of our current students and will continue to do so for decades to come.”