Walled Lake Western High School
Encyclopedia
Walled Lake Western High School (also known as “Walled Lake Western”, “Western”, or “WLW”) Walled Lake Consolidated School District, located in Walled Lake, Michigan.
team captured the school's first state championship. The Warriors then became known as a football
power in southeast Michigan
, making three finals appearances in the 1990s (1992, 1996, and 1999). Head coach Chuck Apap lead the team to a state title in 1996, and current head coach Mike Zdebski lead the team to a state title again in 1999 (USA Today 11th ranked in country) and made a Final 4 showing in 2001. The Walled Lake Western Performing Arts Programs are also widely known throughout the state and are considered to be very prestigious. A four-year member of the Choir program, Kirsten Haglund
, who graduated in 2006, was named Miss America
2008. The International Baccalaureate program is set to start in the 2012-2013 school year for grades 11 and 12.
Beginning in the fall of 2012, Western will begin the International Baccalaureate Diploma program for 11th and 12th grade students as an alternative to AP
Testing.
, a Tony Award winning musical-comedy. In the fall of 2011, Western will be putting on Phantom of the Opera.
Overview
Opened in 1969, Walled Lake Western was the second high school in Walled Lake. The school's enrollment is currently listed at 1,734. Western's mascot is the Warrior and the school colors are Royal Blue and Silver (Scarlet was integrated as a school color from 1983 to 2004). Western belongs to the newly formed Kensington Lakes Activities Association. Walled Lake Western's athletic programs have a long history of success. In 1984, the Warriors baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team captured the school's first state championship. The Warriors then became known as a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
power in southeast Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, making three finals appearances in the 1990s (1992, 1996, and 1999). Head coach Chuck Apap lead the team to a state title in 1996, and current head coach Mike Zdebski lead the team to a state title again in 1999 (USA Today 11th ranked in country) and made a Final 4 showing in 2001. The Walled Lake Western Performing Arts Programs are also widely known throughout the state and are considered to be very prestigious. A four-year member of the Choir program, Kirsten Haglund
Kirsten Haglund
Kirsten Lora Haglund is a beauty queen from Farmington Hills, Michigan who was Miss America 2008.-Biography:Haglund graduated from Walled Lake Western High School in 2006 and spent one year pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in...
, who graduated in 2006, was named Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
2008. The International Baccalaureate program is set to start in the 2012-2013 school year for grades 11 and 12.
Academics
In 2009, Walled Lake Western High School was ranked in the top 5% of all schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine. The ranking is calculated by the “number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors." Courses offered at WLW include art, business, English, math, performing arts, science, social studies, technical education, world language, and more.Beginning in the fall of 2012, Western will begin the International Baccalaureate Diploma program for 11th and 12th grade students as an alternative to AP
AP
A&P or AP or Ap or ap may refer to:-Education:* Advanced Placement, a program that offers college level courses at high schools across the United States and Canada* Ang Pamantasan, a Philippine university student publication...
Testing.
Performing Arts
Between 1990 and 2007, over 3,900 students have been a part of the Walled Lake Western Choirs. Each year WLW features about 10 choirs and ensembles. Between 1990 and 2009, WLW Choirs have received Superior and Excellent Awards over 265 times. These awards are received through choir festivals such as MSVMA District Festivals, MSVMA State Solo and Ensemble festival, and Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Walled Lake Western High School also produces a professional quality musical annually. WLW has produced musicals such as “Annie”, “Les Miserables”, and “Hairspray.” In 2010, Walled Lake Western Performing Arts was one the first high schools in the country to perform HairsprayHairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
, a Tony Award winning musical-comedy. In the fall of 2011, Western will be putting on Phantom of the Opera.
Notable alumni
- Craig DeRocheCraig DeRocheCraig M. DeRoche is a Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He was a member of the Michigan Legislature from January 1, 2003, to January 1, 2009....
- Former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. - Kirsten HaglundKirsten HaglundKirsten Lora Haglund is a beauty queen from Farmington Hills, Michigan who was Miss America 2008.-Biography:Haglund graduated from Walled Lake Western High School in 2006 and spent one year pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in...
- Miss Michigan 2007 and Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
2008. - Mario WinansMario WinansMario Winans is an American R&B singer, songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Born Mario Brown, he is the son of gospel recording artist Vickie Winans and her first husband, Bishop Ronald Brown. He is also the stepson of his mother's second husband, gospel singer, Pastor Marvin...
- Vocalist and professional recording artist. - Lindsay Janisse - Broadway singer, dancer, actress.
- Brian Grosso - Long Distance runner, 1988 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Champion 1988.
- David BoothDavid BoothDavid Booth is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Following his sophomore year with the Michigan State Spartans, he was selected 53rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft...
- NHL player for the Vancouver Canucks.