Wayland Union High School
March 2024
Upcoming Dates
March
March 4: Trimester 3 begins
March 6: MSBOA Band Festival
March 8: No school for students
March 8: WUHS Theatriks present "That's Not How I Remember It", 7pm FAC
March 9: WUHS Theatriks present "That's Not How I Remember It", 3pm FAC
March 10: Daylight Savings Time
March 11: No school for students, Teacher PD Day
March 14: South West Vocal Music Festival, WMU Miller Auditorium
March 22: improv.anonymous' Murder Mystery Dinner, 6pm FAC
March 27: MiCareerQuest Presentation for Sophmore class, DeVos Place 10:15am-2pm
March 29: No school, Spring Break begins
April
April 8: School resumes, full day.
April 9: SAT Testing, Juniors
April 10: PSAT 10 Testing, Sophmores
April 11: WorkKeys Testing, Juniors
April 16: PSAT 9 Testing, Freshman
April 16: Scholastic Honors Night/Alumni Hall of Fame, 6:30pm FAC
April 17: M-STEP Testing, Juniors
April 19: Prom, 7:30pm Grand Rapids Public Museum
April 22: Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4pm in-person
April 25: Wayland Theatriks presents "The Witch's Princess", 3pm FAC
April 26: Wayland Theatriks presents "The Witch's Princess", 7pm FAC
April 27: Wayland Theatriks presents "The Witch's Princess", 3pm and 7pm FAC
From the Guidance Office
Upcoming Dates and Happenings
March 2024
March 4, 12, 18 and 25: FAFSA Madness raffles for college-bound seniors only! In order to be eligible for the raffle, the senior must complete their FAFSA and register in the Guidance Office the Thursday prior to each week's raffle.
March 6: Dual Enrollment meeting for students who indicated interest on their Course Request Form. Application due by March 15.
March 12: Class of 2024 Local & Community Scholarship application will be released! There’s over $10,000 worth of scholarships available-all through one application; due APRIL 12TH (the Friday after spring break). Don’t forget-some scholarships are available to students attending college or entering a skilled-trade.
March 27: All Sophomores will be attending MiCareer Quest at Devos Place in GR. More information is coming soon.
Classroom Hapenings
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, our Forensic Science classes welcomed back Mr. Werkema as our guest speaker. He was our former SRO on campus at the high school before Mr. Miller and Officer Schaffer. He shared his knowledge from 40 years as a police officer when dealing with drunk drivers, alcohol related arrests, and how alcohol impairs one's ability to drive. Because of his love for Wayland students, he waived his presentation fees and volunteered his time for 3 hours. Normally he is on tour around the state speaking to large groups of students about the dangers of alcohol and driving through his program, "It's In Your Hands." In the picture is Mr. Werkema with high school students Josh and Madison. The kids are wearing the Fatal Vision goggles that simulate intoxication.
Capturing Kids' Hearts
COURAGE
Courage is a choice to push through fear, self-doubt,
and anxiety to do things that feel hard or frightening.
Forensics
The Forensics Team is gearing up for the first tournament of the season. They will be traveling to tournaments throughout March! Students will complete can compete in a variety of events. This year team captain, Addie Huston, will compete in storytelling. Bella Bogema will also compete in storytelling. Tyler Tylk will compete in extemporaneous speaking and Alex Oosterhouse will compete in oratory/persuasive speaking.
PSAT/SAT
The PSAT 9/10 is a standardized test that is administered to freshmen and sophomores in April. This is great practice for the SAT.
The SAT is administered to juniors in April. This is a college entrance exam, as well as WHS graduation requirement. Juniors will also take the WorkKeys test and M-STEP test.
This year all test formats will be online. Students will use their iPads. Please make sure your iPad is fully charged the night before!
Testing dates are listed above. Each test will be administered on a separate date.
STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND CLASSES AT THE COMPLETION OF TESTING.
Theater
Join us for improv.anonymous' annual Murder Mystery Dinner! The show will be held Friday, March 22nd in the Fine Arts Center. Tickets on sale at https://wufactickets.ludus.com/index.php. Get yours today before they sell out! Cost is $30 and includes an all you can eat three-course meal and an interactive show.
Don't miss out!
After School Tutoring
Choir
These incredible students earned a "1" rating!
Both Honors Choir and Select Choir will be moving on to State Solo and Ensemble. Ten Soloists will also be moving on to State Solo and Ensemble. These are incredibly difficult feats to achieve!
Congratulations to Wayland Union Choir students. They are a fantastic group of singers and we are so very proud of all of them!
Honors Choir
Pictured from left to right:
Back Row: Hanora Gavin, Lili Harrison, Suryiah Wilson, Oliva Machleit, Tristell Pawloski, Tiannah Garcia and Layla Ummin
2nd Row: Kaylee Cooper, Nikolette Harrison, Kayleigh Warmbold, Kylie Spicer, Madison Campos and Abby Wabeke
Front Row: Keira Cater, Madison Swisher, Logan Watson, Patience Hawley and Morgan Liberski.
Select Choir
Pictured from Left to Right:
Back Row: Ericka Babcock, Alexis DeLaney, Thomas Parker, Kayden Balch, and Brianna Scott
2nd Row: Toby Cole, Leo Marin, Jayson Stokes, Rylee Brown, and Lorelei Beckwith
Front Row: Nikolette Harrison, Ovelia Taylor, Katryna Gardner, Oliva Machleit and Maddie Mulder
Not Pictured: Nick Ward and Carlos Cervantes
Senior Cap and Gown Handout
On Tuesday, March 19, our Jostens rep will be handing out caps and gowns to seniors during both lunches. Any orders not picked up that day will be available in the Main Office.
If you have not yet placed your order, please see Mrs. Ewing in the main office.
FUTURES
FUTURES: Facilitating Understanding Through Unique Real-life ExperienceS
FUTURES is an external/non-traditional learning experience for our students. FUTURES is designed to allow students to learn about subjects not traditionally taught during the regular school day. It takes place the last two and a half days of the school year.
Enrollment will OPEN in March 2024!
Click the following link for a course catalog of the programs that will be offered.
Junior/Senior Prom
Please see the following letter for more information regarding this year's Prom.
Guest Approval Forms are due to the main office by April 11.
ACATEC News
Click the button below for the latest news from the Tech Center.
E-Sports
Entering it's third season, the WUHS Esports team has continued to show steady growth and gaming opportunities. Early season scrimmages started the first week of February. Scrimmages are against schools throughout the United States and Canada. It's a unique experience competing against teams over 1000 miles away. WUHS has played teams from Toronto, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Little Rock, New York City, and small towns throughout North America. The regular season started the week of February 19th, and matches are exclusively with Michigan schools. Teams compete for nine weeks to determine a playoff bracket. The single elimination playoffs top-off the season crowning champions for each game. This year’s championship will be hosted by Oakland University.
Students have the opportunity to compete in the following games: Valorant, League of Legends, NBA2K, Madden, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, Hearthstone, Splatoon, and Rocket League. WUHS competes in Super Smash Brothers on Wednesdays, and Mario Kart and Rocket League on Thursdays. Students practice and scrimmage on their off-day to sharpen skills. Currently 10 WUHS students are competing for the season.
The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals created a governing body for gaming, the Michigan High School Esports League. To expand its reach statewide, the league waived participation fees for the 2024 season. Last year MHSEL had over 1300 students competing in 93 different Michigan schools. What makes esports different is 45% of participants have never played a high school sport. Esports reaches a segment of the high school community that might be underrepresented in other clubs, sports, and extracurriculars.
If interested in learning more, contact Mr. Braginton at bragintonj@waylandunion.org
Yearbook
Order your 2024 Yearbook at https://yearbookforever.com/schools/wayland_union_high_school_buy_yearbook_321343/VRZD3xKT4rafofO42jZ4aBE8.
📸 Yearbook orders will close on April 30, 2024. 📸
Hosting Exchange Students
Student Handbook
Student Handbook Changes
Deliveries: No food or drink is to be delivered during school hours.
The only acceptable items are school related items and items needed for school sponsored extracurricular activities. These may be dropped off by parent/guardian as an exception to the policy.
Dress and Grooming: No hoods are allowed. Hats are acceptable as long as they adhere to the dress code. Blankets are not allowed during the school day.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Please review the student handbook. You can find the link here:
Mr. Santino Di Cesare
Principal
Email: dicesares@waylandunion.org
Location: 870 East Superior Street, Wayland, MI, USA
Phone: 269-792-2254
Mrs. Karri Bailey
Assistant Principal
Email: baileyk@waylandunion.org
Location: 870 East Superior Street, Wayland, MI, USA
Phone: 269-792-2254
Mr. Justin Hudson
Assistant Principal
Email: hudsonjustin@waylandunion.org
Location: 870 East Superior Street, Wayland, MI, USA
Phone: 269-792-2254
Mr. Adam Valk
Athletic Director
Email: valka@waylandunion.org
Location: 870 East Superior Street, Wayland, MI, USA
Phone: 269-792-2254