Any day at White Bear Lake High School, you’ll find students spending time in their favorite part of the school: the Media Center. Some quietly study in the focus space, others collaborate on homework in “the circle” and some seek advice in the tutoring center. Student choice – in how they learn, socialize and reset – is integral to the school’s design and a reflection of the way education is evolving to meet the needs of students today.
That autonomy extends across grades 9-12 and has fundamentally changed students’ experiences. Students interact in hallways and after school, which naturally fosters mentorship and connection. The design also supports a range of instructional styles and programs, including career pathways, while integrating wellness and student support so that help feels close when it matters. Together, these elements create an environment that nurtures students and their futures.
This is the first blog in a new series featuring student perspectives from Wold education projects. As districts consider what the future of learning should look like, students offer the most credible measure. They can explain not just whether a space performs, but how it changes their experiences at school and builds confidence as they move toward their futures.
At White Bear Lake Area High School, students describe the campus’s impact in four ways: it strengthens connections across grades, makes their futures feel more attainable, empowers choice and supports wellbeing.
Wold’s work with White Bear Lake communities began in 2018, when the District’s high school students were split between two buildings. Wold completed a comprehensive facilities study, met with students, faculty and community members to envision a unified campus and supported the school board as it adopted a facilities master plan. Voters approved the plan in 2019, with a central goal of bringing grades 9-12 together in one building through a major addition and renovation to their North Campus facility.
That shift reshaped daily life in ways students noticed immediately. With everyone in one building, students cross paths across grade levels throughout the day. Those quick interactions add up, creating more natural chances for older students to share perspectives and for younger students to see what’s possible.
“My older brother went to the split school,” said Kaden, a junior attending White Bear Lake High School. “Here, upperclassmen actually interact with underclassmen. You build connections that can help you at school and after graduation.”
That cross-grade connection shows up most in shared spaces like the commons, the media center, club meeting areas and athletic spaces that now serve the whole school. For Luke, a senior, unification has made student leadership more visible and more useful in everyday moments.
“For sports and clubs, it’s brought us together,” Luke said. “Older kids set an example. It’s more valuable hearing from older students, and being in one high school makes that happen.”
Bailey, a sophomore, described how that access can feel personal, too. Being around seniors didn’t just help her feel part of the school; it helped her picture her next step more clearly.
“Seeing my senior friends go through the college process inspired me,” she said. “It made me feel like I could do it, too.”
Wold’s master planning and referendum work also focused on designing a campus that could support more varied ways of learning, especially career and technical education (CTE), which more districts are expanding as students look for clearer, earlier pathways into high-demand fields.
Instead of making programs “fit” into standard classrooms, Wold created learning environments that feel closer to the real world. In the CNA health room, hospital beds, simulation tools and equipment move lessons from theory to hands-on practice. For some students, the program provides a clearer sense of direction – this high school actually follows a local college’s curriculum, and students can take the CNA test at the end and are able to work in the profession.
“The CNA health room and all its features have made me think, ‘If this is what my high school can offer, what could medical school or college really be like?’” Bailey said. “It confirmed this is what I want to do.”
Career exploration isn’t confined to the classroom. Kaden described a schoolwide career simulation hosted at the fieldhouse, where students had to live within the constraints of their chosen profession, running the numbers on real-life decisions like taxes, housing and groceries. That kind of experience is easier to pull off when a building includes large, multi-use areas that can be reset quickly for events, demonstrations and community partners.
These spaces show how design can make learning more accessible and connected to life after graduation.
When a school is designed for only one learning style, students’ days become more rigid and repetitive. White Bear Lake is designed for variety. Instead of pushing every activity into the same classroom format, the building shifts with students.
In the learning commons and shared gathering areas, students move between tasks without having to change what they’re doing to “fit” the space. They can settle in for independent work, pull together for a group assignment or stay on campus longer because the building supports what happens after class as much as what happens during it.
“The commons can be used for multiple things because it’s open. We’ve hosted dances, meetings, sports banquets and more,” Bailey said. “After school, there’s always something happening.”
That flexibility shows up in student-led life, too, where groups can scale up or break out easily.
“For Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we meet near the gyms,” Luke said. “Being able to move the walls and furniture helps because we can fit more people or split things up depending on what we need.”
Over time, students’ ability to choose can change how they see themselves. Luke described realizing that he could take greater ownership of how he works and his future.
“I didn’t know I had a choice before,” he said. “Now, I feel like I’m more prepared for college and making decisions on my own after graduation.”
At White Bear Lake, support is built into students’ routines. Counseling and administrative touchpoints are placed throughout the building rather than in a single location, so getting help feels normal and accessible.
“Counselors are on each floor, which makes it easier to talk about college or seek help,” Kaden said. “It’s something I really appreciate about our new school.”
Wellness is a core part of Wold’s student-centered design approach. Wold designs next-generation schools to support students’ ability to show up, engage and grow. When resources are visible and approachable, students are more likely to use them when they need them.
Wold’s 2025 State of Community Facility Design report reinforces that idea, finding that Americans overwhelmingly agree mental health and wellness should be central to the design of community buildings. In schools, that translates into spaces that reduce friction and support care for the whole student.
For Bailey, the wellness spaces have had a major impact. When she was injured during cheerleading, the weight room and recovery room became part of her path back. Having recovery resources on campus, along with access to the school’s physical therapists, meant she could stay consistent without relying as heavily on outside appointments. It also eased the burden on her family.
“It was a really good resource for me,” Bailey said. “It saved my parents money, and the recovery room feels private, so you’re comfortable being there. It helped me get better and get back to what I love.”
White Bear Lake is a model for where education is headed: unified campuses that build culture across grades, pathway spaces that make careers feel real, flexible settings that give students agency and wellness integrated into the school day.
This student voices series will continue with perspectives from other Wold education projects, highlighting the lived impact of design choices, in students’ own words.
If your district is unifying campuses, expanding career pathways or designing for student choice and wellbeing, Wold can help translate your vision into a school that delivers. Contact Wold to discuss what your community needs next.
