District Update

We hope you'll review this week's District Update filled with news and notes from across the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Stay up to date with the District by visiting www.wlcsd.org and connecting with the district on social media.

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• January 29-February 1: WLN presents: "Legally Blonde: The Musical", tickets available now at www.wlcstickets.com.
• January 31: Early Childhood Center (ECC) Open House; 10am at the ECC
• February 5: Board of Education regular meeting; 7pm at the ESC
• February 12: Name of Love Tour at all three middle schools
• February 16-20: Mid-Winter Break | No School for Students or Staff
• February 23: PTSA Council meeting; 7pm at Sarah Banks MS

• Now through January 30: In-district Transfer
• January 22: Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten Enrollment Opened
• Now through February 13: Schools of Choice Applications Accepted
• March 9: 2026-27 Enrollment Opens for Grades 1-12

Come visit the Walled Lake Early Childhood Center on Saturday for our annual open house and learn more about preschool in Walled Lake!

• This Saturday, January 31
• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Location: 40839 W. 13 Mile Road, Novi 48377

Walled Lake Central’s Alexis Trinh was named Student of the Year by the Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at its 5th annual Black and White Awards Ball on Friday night.

The Student of the Year Award is presented annually to honor a senior that demonstrates excellence in leadership, citizenship, and academic and/or career and technical achievement.

Trinh was nominated for the award by Walled Lake Central world languages teacher, Nancy Kattoula. Along with her hard work in the classroom, Trinh is the Vice President of National Honor Society, as well as a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. She has also held leadership positions for two of her three years on Student Council, is a member of the Psychology Club, Red Cross Club and The Giving Tree Club.

Twenty-six Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ students shined at the DECA District 6 Conference on Saturday at Lakeland High School qualifying for state competition. The state competition will talk place in March 5-7 at Huntington Place in Detroit as part of the DECA State Career Development Conference.

Walled Lake Western had 22 medalists at the District 6 Conference, which included 21 individual medalists and five team medalists. Aarush Reddibattini and Bhavesh Thummala both qualified for the state competition in Personal Financial Literacy as individuals, along with Aditya Chitrapu and Aditya Gupta as individuals in Restaurant and Food Service Series. The Warriors other individual state qualifiers are Tasheen Frankol in Automotive Services Marketing Series, Kaito Le in Business Finance Series, Medha Vuyyuru in Principles of Business Management and Administration, Chloie Powers in Principles of Entrepreneurship, Hussain Mala in Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, and Yasmine Hamad in Principles of Marketing. Walled Lake Western’s five state qualifying teams are Whitney Burzynski and Marissa Rates in Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making, Harper Klautky and Rozeria Nichols in Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making, Matthew Lown and Daniel Morales Jimenez in Financial Services Team Decision Making, Varun Tangirala and Nicholas Vo in Hospitality Services Team Decision Making, and Shivani Aji and Kira Havard in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making. Cor’ron Claudin (Food Marketing Services) and Cain Weaver (Principles of Finance) also received Online Exam Medals.

Nine students from Walled Lake Northern are headed to the state competition. Dean Babington will compete in Business Services Marketing Series, David Devaney in Accounting Applications, Trevor Nelson in Automotive Services Marketing, Lauren Devaney in Hotel and Lodging Management, Meredith Weeks in Personal Financial Literacy, Alex Siminovich in Sports and Entertainment Marketing, and Alex Kohr in Principles of Entrepreneurship. Jillian Parel and Meghan Woldring also qualified for the state competition as a team in Travel and Tourism Marketing Team Decision Making.

Walled Lake Central had seven state qualifiers of its own with three individuals and two teams. Hannah Biel will compete in the area of Marketing Communications for the second-straight year, Dimitar Atanasov earned a qualifying medal in Automotive Services Marketing, and Alexis Torman in Apparel and Accessories Marketing. The Vikings two state-qualifying teams are made up of Miranda Sandoval and Saimegan Pamarthi in Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making, as well as Jason and Brandon Ulrich in Marketing Management.

Seven middle school and seven high school students, as well as four staff members, shined on stage in Grand Rapids this past week at the Michigan Music Conference.

Walled Lake Western alto saxophone player Noah Springer was selected as one of the top young composers in Michigan for the second-straight year. Springer’s piece, String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, was performed by Sarah G. Banks Middle School orchestra teacher Teresa Cirihal, Walled Lake Western students Willem Damron and Chia Hurtado, and retired educator Linda Trotter.

Additionally, a saxophone quartet from Walled Lake Northern featuring Gustave Vezzollo, Claudia Sullivan, Johan Haupt and Ivan Banas were selected to perform The Cuckoo, a work composed by a senior at Waterford Kettering.

Ten students were also chosen for the 2025-26 All-State program. Only the top performers for each instrument were selected out of over 2,700 middle school and high school students that auditioned. Those students then had the opportunity to rehearse with esteemed conductors for two days before performing on Saturday at the Michigan Music Conference.

Sarah G. Banks Middle School viola player Thomas Cirihal and violinists Joel Kane and Kosei Okano performed as part of the Middle School All-State Orchestra. Fellow Bulldogs Brady Cruzen (clarinet), Nicholas Heuvers (tuba), and Nicholas Small (clarinet) were also joined by Clifford H. Smart Middle School baritone saxophonist Jace Trotter in the Middle School All-State Band.

All three high schools were represented as part of the All-State program. Damron (cello) and Walled Lake Central’s Saya Farrell (oboe) performed as part of the High School All-State Full Orchestra. Vellozzo was our lone representative in the High School All-State Band.

Continue reading on district website.

If you missed, you can check out Izzie's takeover by clicking the "Legally Blonde" highlight on our Instagram.

Show Times

• Thursday, January 29 - 7 p.m.
• Friday, January 30 - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, January 31 - 7 p.m.
• Sunday, February 1 - 2 p.m.

Walled Lake Western 2017 graduate Cody White will be on the field at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with the Seattle Seahawks. The former Warrior took home the 2016 Michigan Mr. Football Award while helping lead Walled Lake Western to a runner up finish in the MHSAA Division 2 State Championship his senior year.

Earlier this season, White scored his first career NFL touchdown reigning in a 60-yard pass on November 2 in a 38-14 win against the Washington Commanders. Unfortunately, White was later placed on the Seahawks injured reserved suffering a season-ending groin injury in Week 17.

Nine students from across Walled Lake Consolidated Schools took home Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the regional competition with over 5,000 entries submitted from the state of Michigan.

Three students received Gold Key Awards and will be moving on to the national competition for a chance to have their artwork shown at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Additionally, seven Walled Lake Central and one Walled Lake Western student earned Silver Key Awards.

The Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award Ceremony will be held on February 9 at the Detroit Institute of the Arts. The winner’s pieces will also be on display at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit from February 9 through 27.

See list of Gold and Silver Key winning students.

Walled Lake Central and Walled Lake Western's unified teams brought the heat to the floor at Little Caesars Arena on Friday afternoon as part of the Detroit Pistons Court of Dream Unified Showcase.

Walled Lake Central tipped off the afternoon with a 62-44 win over Woodhaven. Walled Lake Western then followed up the Vikings’ win with a thrilling 43-42 win over Clawson to wrap up the afternoon of games.

The pair of wins was just the icing on the cake of a day filled with unforgettable memories and plenty of reasons to smile.

The Walled Lake Wild teamed up with these incredible Miracle League athletes for a night full of bright smiles, big laughs and a lifetime of memories.

FFE 50/50 raffle tickets are available in your school.

New price: $20 each, or 3 for $50.

See the list of staff members and/or PTA members with tickets below.

The Shining Stars Award recognizes outstanding individuals and student peers who have supported the special needs community within Walled Lake Schools.

Love your child's bus driver? Nominate them.

Love your child's Unified coach or buddy? Nominate them!

Nominees can be anyone associated with the special needs community: teacher (including case manager or resource teacher), paraeducator, social worker, physical therapist, speech and language pathologist, bus driver, aide, buddy, parent, coach, volunteer, etc. Some of the qualities of the nominee might include: a positive attitude, dedication, dependability, self-motivation, helpfulness and more.

Nominate a Shining Star!

A panel of anonymous judges will select two top entries so please be as specific as possible in your nomination.

All nominees will receive their nomination form and be recognized at the awards ceremony at Walled Lake Western High School on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. A top winner (one staff member and one student) will also be selected from all the nominations and receive special recognition.

All nominations must be received on or before April 24, 2026. Only electronic nominations will be accepted.

Questions? Contact us at: WalledLakePAC@gmail.com

In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the information below for staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our district newsletters is on the right.

Please complete the following form in order to be considered for the Graduate Spotlight section of the WLCSD quarterly Learning newsletter. The nominated student needs to be a 2016 graduate or before.

Please contact pamelacole@wlcsd.org with any questions.

The Walled Lake Marching Band and Color Guard will be holding an informational meeting and ice cream social for prospective new members and parents on February 3 at 7 p.m. in the Walled Lake Central Band Room. Any Sarah G. Banks Middle School, Walnut Creek Middle School, Walled Lake Central and Walled Lake Western students are eligible to participate in color guard for 2026. All skills will be taught, and this multi-state championship organization welcomes anyone interested!

For more information, please email:

• Mr. Grant Prater, Director of Bands - WLC grantprater@wlcsd.org
• Mr. Michael Wolf, Director of Bands - WLW michaelwolf@wlcsd.org

• Where: Pita Way, 8400 Richardson Road, Commerce Twp
• When: Wednesday, February 11th from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Taste, toast and take action to eliminate hunger!

• Wednesday, March 11
• 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Hosted by the Sheraton Detroit Novi (211 Haggerty Road, Novi)
• Tickets: $75 per person | $700 for a table of ten
• Ticket includes appetizers, dinner, dessert, beer and wine
• Get your tickets now!

The Special Services Parent Advisory Committee is sponsoring an Inclusion event in an effort to increase awareness of Unified Sports & Unified Champion Schools, further promote inclusion throughout the District, and celebrate Walled Lake Staff.

The highlight of the Inclusion event is a Unified basketball game featuring school administration and school board members supporting our Unified athletes. The event also includes appreciation stations for staff and educational sessions to inform and inspire the school community about the values and impact of Unified Sports.

Team Walled Lake (Area 15) Special Olympics Michigan provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults (8 years and older) with intellectual disabilities. We are looking for new athletes this season and participating in Unified Sports alongside Team Walled Lake is possible.

Days: Monday & Friday

Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Location: Sarah Banks Middle School

Address: 1760 Charms Rd, Wixom, MI 48393

There is no cost for athletes to participate.

Please complete sign up form, if interested. This will be used as the registration for the season.

This year, athletes will be split into two separate groups:

• Athletes that want to compete at tournaments and scrimmages, committing to the entire season.

• Athletes that do not want to participate in tournaments, cannot guarantee attendance, and just want to have fun with their friends.

Both groups are wonderful! The only difference will be is that athletes not competing will not be placed on teams - they will attend practices, but will not 'officially' be on a roster.

Call (248) 858-1306 to schedule your appointment.

Help make a difference by volunteering at the Making Spirits Bright community book bank!

We're located at 28580 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 210, Farmington Hills, MI 483414.

Learn more by visiting www.MakingSpiritsBright.org.

The Hospitality House Food Pantry is looking for volunteers to help:

• Shopping with clients in the pantry
• Sorting goods
• Providing warehouse support

Learn more by visiting www.hhfp.org/volunteer.

Need a place you can trust to do your banking? Give Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union a try!

We serve students and staff of Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, as well as their families.

Learn more at www.wlsfcu.com.

No matter where you live in the United States, you can easily access 24/7 emotional support.

Call or text 988 or visit www.988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a caring counselor. We are here for you!

During the 2025-26 school year, all Michigan public school students in grades Pre-K through 12 will have access to free breakfast and free lunch every day through the "Healthy School Meals for All" program. This includes a meat/meat alternative, grain, fruit/vegetable and milk. A la carte items will be available for purchase.

Families are still encouraged to complete the free/reduced meal form on Skyward Family Access help secure additional funding for the District including Title I funding. By completing the form, eligible families may also receive access to other free and reduced programs within the District including SAT testing, pay to participate and more.

Our mission, in partnership with parents and the community, is to become the best educational system in America so all students demonstrate they are caring, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens.

Email: danieldurkin@wlcsd.org
Website: www.wlcsd.org
Location: 850 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 956-2000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wlcsd/
Twitter: @WalledLkSchools