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Spring Lake Park highlights record participation, state qualifiers and new co‑ops in athletics and activities
Summary
District athletics and activities leader Will Wackman told the board that about 85% of students participate in extracurriculars, the varsity pipeline depends on feeder programs and several teams and individuals reached conference, section and state levels this spring.
The Spring Lake Park School Board heard a broad report on athletics and activities from Will Wackman, who described high student participation and multiple team and individual achievements across sports, arts and career programs.
Wackman said the district has “15 boys and 15 girls sports, and then we have 50 clubs,” and reported that “85% of our kids do something in our school.” He credited feeder programs and community partnerships — including co‑ops with other schools for sports that lacked numbers — for strengthening varsity pipelines. “If you don't learn how to skate until you're 15, you're probably not gonna be on a hockey team. You gotta start skating early,” he said, stressing the need to enroll younger students in feeder activities.
Wackman highlighted spring accomplishments: record participation in track and field (about 260 kids), state qualifiers in volleyball, Nordic and Alpine skiing, a state math champion, students earning national EMT certification and multiple all‑state music and fine‑arts recognitions. He also pointed to non‑athletic programs — robotics, DECA, FCCLA and speech — that produced state and national qualifiers. Wackman said the district is working with the Panther Foundation and local partners on initiatives called “Project X” and other programs to grow youth engagement.
Board members praised coaches, staff and community partners and noted the “can‑do” district culture Wackman described. The presentation was informational; no board action was required.
