WIAA Board of Control Makes Decision on April 23
The WIAA Board of Control voted against the appeal of West Bend East and West High Schools to remain in the North Shore Athletic Conference. Therefore, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, East and West will be part of a newly-formed and yet-to-be-named conference with Kewaskum, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Plymouth, and Sheboygan South. Football and other sports that are co-op status (they include other schools) are not affected.
Old update:
Families may remember from February 2024 that the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Conference Realignment Task Force suggested changes to the high school athletic conference of which East and West High Schools are members—the North Shore Conference.
At that time, the committee made a recommendation to remove East and West High Schools from that conference (for all sports except football) and place them in a yet-to-be-named new conference with Grafton, Kewaskum, Port Washington, Sheboygan South, and Plymouth. East and West appealed this recommendation to the WIAA Board of Control, which remanded the plan back to the conference realignment committee for further consideration.
On April 9, the conference realignment committee once again suggested a new yet-to-be-named conference be formed, now with Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Kewaskum, Port Washington, Sheboygan South, Plymouth, and West Bend East and West Bend West. Kettle Moraine Lutheran replaces Grafton from the prior proposal.
In mid-March, East and West High Schools seniors begin interviewing for local scholarships, which include generous scholarships from the Ziegler Family Foundation, the Rolfs Educational Foundation, the COLUMNS Scholarship Foundation, and many other West Bend High Schools and community-based scholarships. These donors awarded more than 140 graduating seniors from the Class of 2023 more than $900,000 in local scholarships to continue their education.
COLUMNS is an all-volunteer scholarship foundation started more than 50 years ago by a few West Bend individuals. The vision of the West Bend COLUMNS Scholarship Foundation is to transform lives by creating pathways to advanced education for graduates of West Bend High Schools.
The organization is seeking an executive director to help us fulfill our mission of advancing higher education. If you are interested in this position, please review this job description and email your resume to wbcolumns@gmail.com. If you have any questions, contact Rose Petitte, President. Rose can be reached at 262-808-2670.
More than 150 people attended Community Conversations on Facilities to help the West Bend School District assess the needs and opportunities of its 11 buildings and grounds were held in February and April. Community members were invited to give feedback on priorities for the future of the WBSD school buildings and grounds.
All students in grades K-12 (in person and virtual through West Bend Virtual Academy) receive a district-owned Chromebook for student use during the school year. Even if the family has its own laptop, we ask that you get the Chromebook for the student as they will use it while in the school (with in person instruction) and it will be used for testing and assessment.
Hot Spots
If you are in need of a district hot spot to support your student’s instruction for the 23-24 school year, please complete the form linked HERE. Hot spots will be made available on a first come first served basis. Please note that hot spot data is limited and should only be used for instructional purposes only.
Insurance for Chromebook
As part of the 1:1 device program, the district provides insurance on the device. The insurance covers accidental breakage and repair on the device, charging cord, and case. The insurance does not cover intentional damage and lost or non-returned devices.
Chromebooks for all K-12 students are part of the district's education plan to guarantee that each child has the correct access and tools to support learning. Please see more information below:
