Bringing the outside world in

June 2023  

An alum — say, poet Storme Webber ’77 opening up to students in Lindsay Aegerter’s Quest for Queer Literature elective, or historian and journalist Knute Berger ’72 sharing insights with James Nau’s class Seattle: Culture and History — is a surprisingly common sight at the front of Lakeside’s classrooms. A Middle School parent with expertise shares concepts of archaeology with 6th graders. Internationally known Iroquois lacrosse player Neal Powless — a friend of Lakeside science teacher Michael Black and a colleague in the DEI world of the lacrosse community — stops by during a visit to Seattle to speak to the boys lacrosse team about Indigenous culture and value systems. A weaver from Oaxaca, Mexico, shares his Zapotec heritage with Middle School Spanish classes. Guest speakers of all kinds enrich the student experience here, and there’s often a personal relationship behind the appearance.

“I’m always excited again seeing young, smart, motivated kids. I talk about modeling disease outbreaks and designing vaccine deployment strategies. It’s a fun tutorial setting, unlike talking with my peers. Lacking the context of the field, the students ask better questions.” 

— Dr. Edward Wenger ’99, who leads the Institute for Disease Modeling global health research program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Upper School English Teacher Bob Lapsley

Of the many guest speakers who come to campus, the physicians and researchers who return year after year to Bob Lapsley’s global health class represent true partnership. For more than a decade, Lapsley has built relationships with the University of Washington Medical Center, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Gates Foundation. Long-time repeat speakers include Carey Farquhar (on HIV research in Kenya), Stephen Gloyd (on the role of debt and global financial interests on public health), Scott Meschke (on sanitation and hygiene in the developing world), Janet Englund (on children and the flu, SARS, and COVID-19), and Chris Sanford (on emergency medicine in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Haiti earthquakes). The list goes on. The benefit to students is obvious: not only the diversity of content and vivid first-person experiences, but the chance to learn about careers, see modeling, witness how science in the lab or classroom has real-world application. Meanwhile, the presenters have to be on their game, articulating their findings and analysis to an engaged group outside of their normal spheres. That alone can be inspiring.

This piece was published in the Spring/Summer 2023 edition of Lakeside magazine.