Lakeside School

At 6:45 a.m. on Sept. 5, somewhere between the sound of my son Isaiah’s little voice asking questions from the back seat and the scent of salt in the air, this article began to take shape in my head as I drove from our home in Edmonds to Lakeside. The windows were cracked open, the smell of Puget Sound drifted in, and the cool morning air gave me that rare feeling of being both calm and supercharged at the same time. Week 1: the start of the school year, the NFL season, and the return to rhythms and routines that mark the transition from summer into fall.

I like this time of year. I love the cycle of this profession: looking back, thinking forward, and doing the work to be fully present now. Last year was hard in ways I didn’t expect. This summer felt like a gift — good health, good weather, and time to recharge, create, and take care. I came to campus nearly every day, and what kept me coming back was a quiet sense of responsibility: to water the plants, maintain the studio aquariums, and make sure the art building was ready for students. To make the place beautiful for everyone who would arrive in September.

While I was here, I also made new work in preparation for our annual faculty show. If we haven’t met yet, I came into teaching by way of being a sculptor — a clay worker. Like teaching, it's an act rooted in patience, intention, and care.

In the past, caring for the space felt like a responsibility. This summer, it became something more: a quiet way to care for myself, with showing up for others as the ultimate goal. I’m someone who pours my soul into my work, my students, and the people around me — but like many people in leadership and support roles, I sometimes forget to give that same care back to myself. Creating and maintaining the ecosystems in our aquariums, making art in a quiet studio, and preparing the space for students became grounding practices. They reminded me that care isn’t just something we give — it’s something we need to practice and receive, too.

In our department, we take that seriously. We get to know our students — not just their skillsets, but their stories, perspectives, and aspirations. We listen to their ideas, encourage their questions, and design classes where they can take creative risks, learn through process, and grow with purpose. When students feel truly seen, they thrive — not only as artists, but as people.

It’s no surprise when Lakeside students say their art class is essential to their well-being. When they walk into our studios, they’re entering spaces to create projects that ask for attention and presence. If anything, I wish we expanded the art course requirement to make more space for this kind of learning. The drawing doesn’t improve without trying, failing, and trying again. The concept behind a photograph doesn’t emerge without a personal connection. And the clay does not shape itself. Art-making demands care — and it teaches care in return.

And sometimes, if we’re lucky, it reveals something we didn’t know we needed to understand.

This summer, I realized more than ever how grateful I am to be alive and well, and to be in the business of supporting students, teachers, and artists. Through our work together, we contribute to a community that values creativity, growth, and connection. We are an art department doing the work of a school with a vision— to cultivate hope, joy, and care.

I hope you’ll visit the Fall Preview: Student Art Show, on view from Oct. 23-Dec. 5 in the Pigott Family Arts Center. The exhibition offers a glimpse into students’ early work this year — and the care, creativity, and joy they’re experiencing in the visual arts department. We’ll also host special evening gallery hours in conjunction with the performing arts events throughout November — we’d love to see you there.

Fall Preview: Student Art Show — Details

Exhibition Dates:
Oct.23 – Dec. 5
Pigott Family Arts Center Gallery

Special evening gallery hours:

• Upper School Fall Play
  Dates: Wednesday-Thursday, Nov.13-14
  Gallery open: 4–7 p.m.
  Play begins: 7 p.m.
   
• Grades 6–12 Music Concerts
  Dates: Monday–Wednesday, Nov. 18-20
  Gallery open: 6–8:30 p.m.
  Concerts begin: 6:30 p.m.

Jacob Foran is Lakeside’s Upper School Ceramics & Sculpture teacher and 5-12 visual arts department head. You can reach him at 206-440-2897 or email him and the rest of the visual arts team at info@lakesideschool.site.