The weekend of celebration for the Class of 2023 was filled with joy and some tears! Senior Chapel was held on Friday and the seniors did not disappoint with musical performances, speeches, and videos. It was a Chapel to remember. Saturday started off with the Alumni Breakfast, followed by Commencement rehearsal, the Cum Laude induction ceremony, and then the Baccalaureate service and Senior Recital in the evening. The weekend closed with the Commencement ceremony, with guest speaker Tyri Schiek Centanni, Class of 1971, and President and Co-owner of Total Vein Systems.
Ever wondered what a day in your student's life looks like at Wayland? This video gives you a glimpse into the life of our students. Thank you to all the students, faculty, and staff who made this production possible!
Share this with another family who you think is a good fit for Wayland!
Production created by Ms. Hafey and Raymond Haggerty, Joocy Film Co.
Spring Sports
Lacrosse—Coached by Mr. MacLellan and Mr. Warnick In our inaugural season, the team worked hard and improved every day. We took our lumps earlier in the season, but through it all, the team has been united and pushed themselves to get better. The team had tremendous senior leadership, which will surely be missed next year. The highlight for the whole team was securing our first-ever win in program history against a strong opponent in Oregon. The team has built a solid foundation for years to come.
Rowing—Coached by Mr. Ahlborn and Mr. Nagy Rowing had a successful first sprint season this spring. We took crews to Cincinnati, OH, Madison, WI, Skokie, IL, and the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association Championships outside Detroit, MI. Our girls freshman quadruple sculls improved over three minutes during the season, our girls four placed 21 out of 29 at MSRA and our boys second four beat an Evanston Township High School crew in Skokie, and our boys first four had the fifth fastest time out of 27 crews at MSRA.
The wind and weather in early spring made practices on the lake challenging, so we had many land training workouts and ergometer tests. Every student-athlete improved their erg times and their overall fitness level which is a major part of our Health Pillar.
The trips are long but the camaraderie and sense of team, through all the trials and tribulations, help to provide real-life learning experiences for every level of competitor. We look forward to our second distance season in the fall!
Soccer—Coached by Mr. Smallish We started the season with a bunch of questions! Who's the new coach? Who do we play? Where do I play? As we entered our first few games of the season, which included Division 1 opponents we had to learn how to play and develop our shape and our roles on the team. We headed into our first conference game, and we discovered a shape to play as a team unfortunately at the end of the game. Our puzzle was starting to come together. When the Saturday Alumni game happened, we were on our way to our first win. With 10 seconds left, the opponent tied us. However, that was a moment of growth for this team! They gained confidence in each other and themselves. The following weekend we played in a tournament and took third place out of eight teams with an amazing 0-0 tie after 80 minutes and lost in a penalty kick shoot-out 3-2. In the third-place game we played the same team we played at the Alumni game and won 5-0. The team had their most impressive win of the season a 4-1 win at Lomira. They won the ball and beat them to the ball. In this game, the pieces of the puzzle came together as individuals and as a group.
This has been an amazing heartfelt group that has a no-quit attitude and is in every single game they play in. Yes, the record could be better, but I'll take a quality and character win or tie and even a loss if it benefits this group. It has been a pleasure to coach this group of young women. Go Big Red!
Softball—Coached by Mr. Richards `84 and Mr. Luebke H`89 This year our softball team’s mantra was patience and practice. With over half of our team being new to the sport, we had a year of skill-building and teamwork. We endured the cold weather doubleheaders together and played against many superior teams, but all the while we were learning plays and building our skills to execute them. We made constant improvement throughout the season and were soon able to score. With these smaller victories, we grew closer as a team and had fun together while learning.
Tennis—We started out the season rebuilding our varsity team as most of last year's team graduated. Thankfully, we had many brand new tennis players join our Wayland tennis team. They have done a fantastic job at practice, learning the skills and strategies necessary to become a good tennis player. Our assistant coach, Greg Schultz, is a previous Wayland parent volunteering for the last two years to work with the players on their tennis strokes. We had a few returning seniors who led the team with their experience and abilities. Individually, players won matches and as our season progressed, we were able to win meets. Our boys' tennis team is young but has many talented players returning next season.
Track and Field—Coached by Mr. Cleary H`20 and Mr. Schultz
The 2023, Wayland Academy track and field team worked hard to build on our program's storied history. Led by captains Drew Benson `23, Javan Hirwa `24, Lucia McGuiness `24, and Alanna Schuett `23, the Big Red were a mix of veteran leaders and enthusiastic, talented newcomers. Both the boys and the girls squads had successful showings in the conference regular season, with the teams and many individuals doing well at the WIAA Regional Meet at Johnson Creek High School. The boys' team finished fifth out of 12 teams and the girls' team finished eighth. Maria Jose Acon `24, Drew Benson `23, William Goodman `24, Javan Hirway `24, Lucia McGuinness `24, Nelson Mitchell `25, Osaya Sule `24, Biblianna Thomas `24, and Sam Porras `25 all competed at the sectional meet last night in Horicon (May 25). At the sectional meet, this group of students qualified for the State Track and Field Championships to be held at UW-Lacrosse on June 2-3: Drew`23 (3200 M run), Lucia `24 (discus throw), Nelson `25 (800 M run), and Osaya `24 (200 M dash). Go Big Red!
Check Out the Spring Sports Video
Created by Ms. Hafey
Coach Schultz Set to Lead Trailways Conference in 2023-2024
Director of Athletics Cody Schultz was elected the new president of the Trailways Conference and will begin serving in this capacity on July 1. Congratulations, Coach Schultz!
#RingTheBell 🔔
Summer Experience at Wayland Academy
Looking for a fun learning adventure this summer? Look no further than the Summer Experience at Wayland Academy—July 9 through July 22, 2023!
The Summer Experience is the perfect summer program for middle and high school students (entering grades 8-11)! It is a well-rounded two-week program that includes academic enrichment, outdoor activities, leadership skill-building, character development, day trips, and much more.
Program Cost: $500 for non-boarding students, $1,500 for Wisconsin-resident boarding students, and $2,500 for non-Wisconsin resident boarding students
Make plans to attend the next Parent Town Hall on Tuesday, July 11, at 12 pm CST.
We'll welcome in our new families ❤️ and look ahead together to the new school year.
Tuesday, July 11
at 12 pm CST
Register in advance for this meeting through the link below. After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email with info on how to join the meeting.
The best compliment is sharing your positive experience with others. If you know a family who would be a great fit for Wayland Academy, please refer them to our Admission Office.
We Invite Wayland Grandparents and Special Friends to Join Our Mailing List
The Wayland Parents Council works with the Advancement Office to provide opportunities for families to come together at Wayland, around the country, and around the globe, to celebrate all that is happening at Wayland Academy. We are pleased to announce that we want to include grandparents and special friends in our activities! This includes our GREETINGS magazine, events on and off campus, and invitations to support our wonderful philanthropic opportunities including our Online Holiday Auction, Annual Spring Gala & Auction, and Annual Big Red Tourney golf outing. Also, from time to time, a surprise photo will be shared. We ask that you fill out the information below—remember, we do not sell our mailing lists—this is for Wayland Academy only. Thank you!
Through the end of May, we’re giving you 20% OFF Wayland Academy hoodies, tees, shorts, hats, and more when you spend $100+. No need to pick and choose. Now you can score. It. ALL. Just tap in code MAY23 at checkout. Sales ends May 31.
Download your copy of the 2023-2023 Academic Calendar and start making plans for next year, including Homecoming, Family Weekend, the Spring Gala & Auction, and Commencement.