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Year in Review: Top 10 School Stories

With new facilities, high academic performance and winning sports teams, 2011 was packed full of education news in Whitefish Bay.

 

Whitefish Bay's ACT Scores Highest in the State

Whitefish Bay High School's latest ACT scores are not only the highest in school history, they are also the best in the state this year. The 2011 graduates at Whitefish Bay High School scored an average ACT score of 26.6, while the statewide average was 22.2.

Money Magazine Says Whitefish Bay is One of the Best Places to Live in the U.S.

While not exclusively a local school story, Whitefish Bay's high-performing educational system was one of the factors that led Money Magazine to rate Whitefish Bay as number 65 in the magazine's list of the 100 best places to live. Other factors included pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, historic architecture, a quaint business district and close proximity to Lake Michigan.

Milwaukee suburban communities Germantown (71) and Franklin (94) made the list, as did Madison suburbs Oregon (99) and Middleton (8), which routinely ranks high on the list.

Community Explores High School Renovations at Open House

The fourth addition to the nearly 80-year-old Whitefish Bay High School building was unveiled to the community at an open house and dedication ceremony in August. With the referendum approved in 2009 and recently completed, the new music wing features new band, orchestra and choir spaces. The old band and choir rehearsal spaces were converted into two new state-of-the-art science classrooms/labs.

Kindergarten Will Start an Hour Earlier Next Year

Five-year-old kindergarten students will start an hour earlier next year, matching their school day to those of first through fifth grade students.

Currently, Richards senior kindergarten students start at 9:05 a.m., whereas first- through fifth-grade students start at 8:05 a.m. Cumberland's K5 students start at 9:15 a.m, with first- through fifth-grade students starting an hour earlier.

Students Protest Governor's Collective Bargaining Law

About 75 Whitefish Bay High School students walked out of class to protest against Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, which would strip teachers and other public employees of the bulk of their collective bargaining rights.

Whitefish Bay School District Superintendent Mary Gavigan said students were excused from school if their parents contacted the school district and gave notice.

SPORTS

Bay Boys Win School's 3rd State Basketball Crown

The Blue Dukes boys basketball team won their third state title in March after knocking off Merrill in the Division 2 state title game, 65-49.

Bay Gymnastics Team Takes Sixth State Title

The Blue Dukes won their sixth championship the WIAA Division 2 state meet in Wisconsin Rapids in March, beating out second-place Platteville/Belmont/Lancaster and third-place River Falls.

Bay's Baseball Team Makes it to State Semifinals

The boys baseball team advanced to the WIAA state baseball tournament for just the second time in school history with a 11-3 sectional win over Cedarburg. The boys ended their season with a 9-4 loss to West Bend West in a state semifinal game at the WIAA tournament in Stevens Point in July.

Blue Dukes Girls Make it to State Basketball Tourney

The Blue Dukes' winning season ended in a 50-39 loss to a skilled Luxemburg-Casco team in a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal game in March. The Blue Dukes ended the season 21-6.

VIDEO: Dominican Girls Chase Perfection in Madison

After an undefeated season, Whitefish Bay Dominican's girls basketball team broke its hot streak in a loss to Kewaunee in the Division 3 state semifinals.

Related Topics: Whitefish Bay 2011 in Review

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