Year in Review: Top 10 School Stories

'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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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