Lakeside School

I love fun. Fortunately for me, creating and having fun is actually a part of my job. Whether it’s reffing our annual Seniors vs. Adults Basketball Game during assembly, organizing games for students to play with buddy advisories, or planning for our upcoming Spring Fling dance, fun is integrated into my day-to-day routine. However, creating and having fun is not the ultimate goal, it’s just a piece of it. The real goal is to spark joy in our students.

Joy is the true foundation for loving life and can have a much more lasting effect on our students than just “fun.” It can be a moment of curiosity in a classroom discussion that leads to a deeper understanding of oneself. It can be meeting someone new and planting the seeds for a lifelong friendship. It can be testing one's mettle by pushing beyond one’s comfort zone and developing into a stronger and more confident person as a result. All of these experiences can have a significant impact on shaping students’ characters, opening up new possibilities for their futures, and leading them down the pathway to pursuing lives of deep joy and meaning. 

As educators, we have the privilege and responsibility to cultivate an environment where joy can thrive. When we encourage students to pursue their passions, create safe spaces for everyone to take risks and become themselves, and celebrate students’ efforts rather than only their outcomes, we make room for joy in all its forms. And when we nurture joy, we are shaping students who are fulfilled, engaged, and ready to embrace life. 

We strive for true joy to be more than an abstract idea. We want joy to be a regular experience that everyone can see and feel on Lakeside’s campus: in our faculty’s creative flourishes as they introduce elements of playfulness to the serious work of learning, in our students’ curiosity and openness about the new ideas they’re encountering, in the collective milestones we celebrate, and in the challenges we rise to meet together. And fortunately, these experiences of joy are available to all of us.

Important dates and events for March

Make sure to review the Inside Lakeside email for Upper School highlights and the full calendar for more information about PGA, athletics, and other school events. 

• Tuesday, March 4, 7-8:30 p.m.: Parent/guardian webinar, technology series: Part 3, on Zoom
• Wednesday, March 5: Ash Wednesday
• Thursday, March 6-Saturday, March 8, 7-9:30 p.m.: US Musical: “Hadestown”, St. Nicholas Hall
• Tuesday, March 11, 8-1:30 p.m.: ACT school-day exam for juniors, Team room
• Wednesday, March 12, 7:45-8:40 p.m.: Dan Ayrault Memorial Lecture featuring Melba Ayco, St. Nicholas Hall
• Thursday, March 13, 8:30-9:45 a.m.: College talk: New to college in the United States, Fireplace room and on Zoom
• Thursday, March 13-Friday, March 14: Purim
• Friday, March 14: Professional development day; No classes
• Monday, March 17, 6:30-8 p.m.: Comparing financial aid awards and considering appeals: A webinar by College Money Method, on Zoom
• Tuesday, March 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: US choir and beat-making concert, McKay Chapel
• Wednesday, March 19, 7-9 p.m.: US New Student Curriculum Night and Course Sign-Up Night, St. Nicholas Hall; Wright Community Center
• Thursday, March 20: Nowruz
• Saturday, March 22, 7-10 p.m.: US spring dance
• Wednesday, March 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: US symphony concert (9th-12th grade band and orchestra), St. Nicholas Hall; McKay Chapel
• Friday, March 28: US faculty work day; No classes
• Friday, March 28, 8-1:00 p.m.: SAT school-day exam for juniors
• Monday, March 31: Eid al Fitr

Jeff Bonar is Lakeside’s Upper School assistant director. You can reach him at 206-440-2743 or info@lakesideschool.site.