Spring 2011, "Reinventing Teaching"

INSIDE »

Architect of Bliss

New Global Online Academy

Alumni news

LAKESIDE SPRING | SUMMER 2011

Kate & Chrissie Coxon, ’ 01 and ’ 03

2 sisters, 2 paths to Reinventing teaching

To take a video tour of the new Bliss Hall and read

Upper School Director Than Healy’s opening-day speech with lots of gee-whiz stats: www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

MADE YOU LOOK The grand reopening of Bliss Hall this spring was highlighted by a surprise choreographed dance by seniors and a procession led by Upper School history teacher Bob Mazelow, who blew a Masai ceremonial instrument made from an antelope horn and proclaimed, “We’re going to open the gates of Bliss with joy, love, laughter, and don’t forget academics! Everyone has to dance!” As students toured the refurbished digs the most frequently heard phrases were “cool,” “awesome,” and “I love it.”

As part of its $7.7 million renovation,

PHOTOS BY TOM REESE

Bliss, better than new

Bliss has new flooring, cabinetry, woodwork, lighting fixtures; safety improvements such as new fire and sprinkler systems; seismic and structural upgrades; improved heating and ventilation systems; and accommodations for those with disabilities, including a ramp and an elevator.

Balancing the goals of maintaining Bliss’ historic integrity and environmental preservation, Upper School Director Than Healy says materials were recycled and reused and local building materials were used to reduce transportation costs and impact. New day-

light sensors and motion detectors allow for better use of natural light in the classrooms.

The beautiful double-hung windows have been refurbished and fully weather-stripped.

Toilets are low-flow and dual-flush, and automatic sensor-controlled sink faucets use water flow to recharge their own batteries.

Funds for the project—completed on time and on budget—were raised by the Living Our Mission campaign. Architects were LMN Architects of Seattle; the builder was Lease Crutcher Lewis; and Seneca Group provided management services. ■

Next: Allen-Gates The next campus renewal project

is set to begin after Commencement: a $5.6 million upgrade to Allen-Gates Hall, which will get an elevator, more classroom and office space on the second floor, and a second chemistry lab on the ground floor. The Bliss construction crew will also lead the Allen-Gates project, which is scheduled for completion by mid-February 2012. ■

2

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Hello, Lakesiders!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Better teaching is always on our minds at Lakeside School. Now it seems that the rest of the country is catching on.

What is effective teaching, how can we measure it, reward it, create conditions for it, and ensure that all children have the benefit of it? At times, the national conversation has become vitriolic and polarizing–one person’s reform is another’s fiasco. This year we’ve seen teachers lauded as “nation builders” and vilified as “welfare queens.” There is progress at least in the growing consensus that good teaching, however you define it, really matters to our country’s future.

Our theme in this issue of Lakeside magazine is reinventing teaching, and what it means to Lakesiders. In our cover story we hear from two alumnae sisters, Kate and Chrissie Coxon,’01 and ’03, who are on the frontlines, working to address education inequity (page 10).

We also look at Lakeside’s initiatives this year to promote good teaching (page 24), explore innovative ideas from peer schools (page 25), and establish an online academy with other top independent schools (page 28). Head of School Bernie Noe shares what 35 years of observation tell him about what makes a great teacher (page 4).

What are your own thoughts on this sizzling topic? We’d love to hear from you.

FEATURES

Architect of Bliss

7

Cover story: Reinventing Teaching

7

■ Chrissie and Kate Coxon, ’03 and ’01: 2 paths to reinventing teaching 10 ■ Good teaching 24 ■ Teacher evaluations 26 ■ Global Online Academy 28

DEPARTMENTS Inside Lakeside

Head of school’s letter 4 Board chair’s letter 5 New global education director 10

6

Facetime

Cool people

30

Sports

26

Fall/winter sports highlights

32

Alumni News

32

Seattle Reunion 34 Student Sponsored Day 36 Distinguished Alum Award New York Reunion 38 Alums of Color Reunion 39 Class Connections 40 P.ersonal S.tory 49 In Memoriam 50 Basketball 54

37

Planned Giving 48 Calendar 55

CAREY QUAN GELERNTER Editor, Lakeside magazine carey.gelernter@lakesideschool.org 206-440-2706; 14050 1st Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98125

LAKESIDE MAGAZINE EDITOR: Carey Quan Gelernter

STAFF WRITERS: Carey Quan Gelernter,

Trevor Klein, Jackie O’Ryan, Robynn Polansky PROJECT MANAGER: Robynn Polansky

ALUMNI NEWS: Kelly Poort, Bruce Bailey, Carol Borgmann ART DIRECTOR: Carol N. Leong

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Tom Reese

Letters to the Editor

T

hank you for an excellent feature on T.J. Vassar [Fall/Winter 2010]. It has prompted me to remember a highlight of our son’s years at Lakeside before he graduated in 2004. T.J. Vassar was our son’s advisor during his four years in Upper School and without a doubt, it was T.J.’s wisdom, sense of humor, and thoughtfulness that made our son’s years successful. Let me simply say that of all the people at Lakeside, it was T.J. that impacted our son’s life the most. Our son attended the University of Pennsylvania upon his Lakeside graduation and currently works in Manhattan. To this day, T.J. holds a dear place in all of our hearts.

– JoAnn Forman

COPY EDITORS: Robynn Polansky,

Corinna Laughlin, Maria Laughlin All contents ©2011 Lakeside School

ON THE COVER:

photo by Tom Reese

Lakeside magazine is published twice yearly by the communications office of Lakeside School. Find past issues at www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

WE LOVE LETTERS! Lakeside magazine welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be a maximum of 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity. Please note whether you wish your e-mail address to appear with your letter in the magazine, and also include your class year or Lakeside affiliation and a daytime phone number (so we can confirm the authorship of your letter only, not for publication). Send letters to Lakeside magazine, 14050 1st Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98125-3099 or e-mail us at magazine@lakesideschool.org.

Contents

3

HEAD NOTE

by BERNIE NOE

The great teacher

F

TOM REESE

4

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

or the past 35 years I have been fascinated by the question of what makes someone a great teacher. What qualities must a teacher have to make her class a transformational experience for students?

At the end of the day, the educational experience of Lakeside School students is largely determined by how many great classes they have had during their time here. I expect that it is the same at every school around the country.

I have watched hundreds of teachers teach and have talked to more than a thousand students about what they believe makes for great teaching, and there is remarkable agreement among all constituencies. None of the conclusions are revolutionary; I think that you will find that your own great teachers possessed the following qualities.

Great teachers are passionate about their subject—in love with the material they are presenting. It’s as if they have found something essential to their being, and they are joyful in sharing this with others. Every student talks about how a teacher’s love for a subject is contagious.

Great teachers have extensive knowledge of their subject. The students in my informal study agree that they love classes with teachers who can answer virtually every question, regardless of how tangential to the topic under discussion.

They love the fact that the teacher knows the subject matter so well that he is free to roam off topic, knowing exactly how to get the class back to where it eventually needs to be. The joy for the class is in the unexpected, and often elucidating, tangent. In his book Five Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner writes of how important it is in the information age for students to master one field of study; doing so provides them with the internal architecture necessary to understand other topics and fields. Great teachers model such mastery in their classrooms, pointing out to students the relationships between the subject at hand and other subjects. The joy of learning for

our students is often in finding those connections.

Students also love teachers who have a sense of humor; it is the icing on the cake for them. A great teacher has an intuitive sense for what will be both amusing and appropriate. Humor is a risk, as it must be suitable to the classroom and actually funny. Humor done badly makes the teacher come off as a bit of a panderer and even a little goofy.

A great teacher must be authentic with students. Students have an intuitive sense of when adults are faking something, and they do not like it. Teachers must be real with their students in the same way that parents must be real.

They need to let the students know a little about who they are and what they value; and they need to be comfortable enough with themselves to admit mistakes when they make them—and they will—and then move on. In short, they must be mature adults.

Finally, to be a great teacher one must know how to be an adult with children, even 18-year-old children who look and talk a lot like adults! Great teachers relate well to their students but never lose sight of the fact that they are the adults in the relationship, with the responsibility to hold students accountable for their actions.

A truly great teacher must have all of these qualities and skills. That is why we put so much time and energy at Lakeside into hiring teachers who are already great or who we believe have the potential to be great. It is our central challenge as a school and the one that matters most to our students.

Have a great summer, everyone. ■

BERNIE NOE

Head of School

FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

I

A thoughtful budget

n these times of angry protests and government shutdowns over the inability to produce a balanced budget, I am happy to report that the annual Lakeside budgeting process was thoughtful, peaceful, and successful.

This process begins in November when Head of School Bernie Noe and his administrative team draft a budget for the coming year. This year, for example, the directors group worked to keep expenses down so that any tuition increase might be moderate.

When the directors are done with their budget process, it is then sent to the assets committee of the Board for input, based on the financial performance of the market and our endowments. Finally, it goes to the full Board for its approval.

As with any budgeting process or balancing act, we strive to keep multiple balls up in the air, including the following: Faculty and staff salaries: This is the largest component of Lakeside’s expenses and goes toward our most precious resource–rewarding those who have a daily impact on our students’ education. After doing an annual comparison against peer independent school and local public school salaries, we then utilize a compensation formula, created by the Board in 1996, to ensure that Lakeside salaries are competitive and fairly reward teaching experience. It is based on a three-year rolling average of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to shield against huge fluctuations in the market, and also factors in prior education and experience.

Maintenance of our facilities: While major remodels, such as Bliss Hall, are often covered by funds raised in campaigns, we budget for an annual plant fund, which covers routine maintenance, as well as some unforeseen situations and needed improvements.

Tuition: Our goal is to keep tuition at a level that enables a broad-based constituency to attend Lakeside. While the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) reports that for the last two decades member schools, on average, have raised tuition by 3 points beyond rising cost of living/CPI increases, we strive to be far below that amount.

Remember, the gap between the total expense for a student to attend Lakeside and what we charge for tuition is $8,446 per student, which is covered by fundraising.

Financial Aid: This is often one of the first programs reduced when a school faces budget challenges. We are proud to say that Lakeside is

STEFANIE FELIX

committed to maintaining the dollars allotted for financial aid next year, even increasing the number of students with aid from 27 percent to 28 percent, adding seven more students.

Endowment: Lakeside is fortunate to have a large endowment of approximately $180 million, most of which is restricted to specific programs such as Global Service Learning, financial aid, and teacher recognition, among others. To sustain the endowment, the board crafted a rather conservative policy allowing us to spend no more than 4 to 5 percent of endowment earnings annually, removing any temptation to dip too deeply into the cookie jar to achieve our other goals.

Lakeside budgeting is a thoughtful process with many eyes involved and the school does a great job of preserving programs while taking into account the changing financial picture for our families and employees.

With this budget process behind us, we will continue to think about how to keep costs low without losing the innovation and excellence for which Lakeside is famous. ■

CONNIE BALLMER

Chair, Board of Trustees

Head Note, Board Chair

5

INSIDE LAKESIDE

by Jackie O’Ryan

Meet Charlotte Blessing,

Global education director committed to global learning —abroad and at home

L

akeside’s first director of global education, Charlotte Blessing, was born and raised in Copenhagen but has spent most of her adult life in East Africa. After earning a bachelor’s in education in Denmark, she joined the Danish equivalent of the Peace Corps at age 26. She intended to return home after stints as a development worker on a water project in Tanzania and as an educational advisor in an adult training center in Ghana.

But she married a New Jersey native who was a mountaineering guide on Mount Kilimanjaro, and they had two children. They moved to the U.S. in 2005, and she never did return home. “My parents had to clean out my apartment in Denmark.”

Fluent in Danish and English, “rusty” in German and French, Blessing says that “Kiswahili has taken over my brain.” And, after 14 years in Africa, she still sees life from the point of view of an African: “A sense of community, a natural concern for ecology developed by daily realities, and a simplicity that comes from necessity.” Once she learned to rely on bucket showers and fetch her family’s water from a river, she has never been the same.

Blessing earned a master’s degree from the School for International Training in Vermont, and served as the school’s academic director in Tanzania and in Nairobi. She comes to Lakeside directly from Colorado College, where she was director of international programs.

She is committed to expanding the worldview of young people through new forms of global education and service learning: “That’s why I’m here.”

“Lakeside’s Global Service Learning (GSL) program offers students the opportunity to be with people who are different over an extended period of time and know them in deeper ways,” she says, “so students on both sides of the relationship start looking inside themselves to ask: ‘Who am I? Why am I the way I am? Where am I going?’”

Ultimately, Blessing says, cross-cultural

6

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

PETER BLESSING

Charlotte Blessing, here with daughter Emma in Tanzania, spent 14 years working in East Africa.

learning changes students’ worldviews and often inspires them to go down new paths.

“My goal is to see students integrate their study-abroad experience into their lives,” she says. “It shouldn’t be an isolated event in a four-year career.”

Blessing would like to increase opportunities for global learning at Lakeside. Earlier in the year the Board of Trustees gave her the go-ahead to do groundwork for a planned semester program in Peru that could start as early as the 2012-2013 school year.

She also believes global education can take many forms that don’t include overseas travel. For example, she’s looking at how technology can connect students in classrooms across the globe, and ways to bring international students and teachers to the Lakeside campus.

Southeast Seattle’s own 98118 zip code may be the most diverse in the country, with almost 60 languages spoken within its borders. Blessing says, “I’m very inspired to bring in local lecturers from throughout the

city to have interactions with our students and expand their awareness of the diversity of their neighbors right here in our own communities.”

Blessing also finds time to write multicultural children’s literature. She’s had numerous nonfiction articles and stories published, and her first picture book, New Old Shoes, was published in 2009. It’s narrated by a pair of red sneakers that journey from their first home with a young boy in America to children in Africa. The book encourages its readers to clean out their closets and redistribute the shoes they don’t wear to some of the world’s 300 million children who have none.

Blessing’s sneakers have seen their own wondrous journey. Though she probably won’t return to Denmark, she’s excited to make Seattle her new home. ■ Jackie O’Ryan is the former communications director of Lakeside School.

Bliss is ready: With its renovation complete, it’s outfitted to address students’ and teachers’ needs for the 21st century.

See page 2.

TREVOR KLEIN ’03

Bliss Hall was one of the f irst four buildings architect Carl Gould built for the new Lakeside campus, which opened on September 17, 1930. Gould, later a school trustee, told the student newspaper, The Torchbearer: “This construction will last and eliminates the f ire hazard and also eliminates all vermin.”

The hall, named after an early headmaster, Charles K. Bliss, was built for about $87,000.

Carl F. Gould

B

The architect of Bliss—a blueblood iconoclast who shaped the look of modern Seattle

by JACKIE O’RYAN

liss Hall is not just a Lakeside treasure, but part of a much larger story about the shaping of modern Seattle in the early 20th century.

The original architect, Carl F. Gould, of Bebb & Gould, designed Bliss and its companion buildings Moore Hall, the Refectory, the gymnasium and headmaster’s house. Gould also designed many buildings on the University of Washington campus, including Suzzallo Library, the Penthouse Theater, and the Henry Art Gallery.

He helped found the architecture department at the UW and served there from 1914 to 1926. The main architecture building is named for him.

In Carl F. Gould: A Life in Architecture and the Arts, authors T. William Booth and William H. Wilson write that Gould was the son of a wealthy New York realestate tycoon and tea merchant. Gould’s diaries reveal he was troubled by bouts of illness that were followed by periods of intense work. He stuttered, though oddly not while speaking French.

As a student, Gould enjoyed little success. He was home-schooled until age 17, and entered prep school for a year before attending Harvard, where he earned mediocre ➢

UW Libraries, Special Collections, UW21637

Carl F. Gould (1873-1939)

Global director, Bliss architect

7

Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives, Item 13009

Between 1914 and 1924, Bebb & Gould designed more than 200 works in a variety of popular styles, including the Renaissance Revival-style Times Square Building at Fourth Avenue and Olive Way.

Xxxxx x

Courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers, Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

Bebb & Gould designed the grounds and government building of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Government Locks (now The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks), which opened in 1917. ➢ CARL F. GOULD, architect of Bliss

Trevor Klein ’03

The Suzzallo inscription notes the partnership of architects C.H. Bebb and C.F. Gould.

grades. Comments from his prep-school teachers read, “His scholarship is not accurate,” and “he has a slight speech impediment.”

Gould studied art and architecture for five years at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but earned no diploma. Upon returning to America, even with the benefit of his family’s high social standing, he found no success in either New York or San Francisco.

In spite of his unpromising start, Carl Gould was destined to be one of the major shapers of the look of modern Seattle in the early 20th century. When he arrived in 8

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

1908, Seattle was at a peak of rapid growth, and had become a metropolitan economic center. This was no frontier outpost. There were parks and boulevards with high-end residences along the parkways built for the new trolley system. Developers were leveling steep hills and filling in the ravines to make room for the city’s rapid growth.

For a young, advantaged architect, it was a great period for getting good work, and Carl Gould was young and advantaged.

Biographers Booth and Wilson write that Gould’s “courtly behavior inspired others to accept his leadership. So did his certitude, for he matured in a nineteenthcentury family that knew what beauty was, and how, in architecture, it was rooted in the ancient styles.” His imposing height— he was a lean 6 feet 4 inches—lent him authority as well. He joined Charles H. Bebb to form the architectural firm Bebb & Gould in 1914. Gould drew the architectural renderings; Bebb supplied social connections that won them contracts.

In 1911 and 1912, Gould was deeply involved in promoting the Bogue Plan for Seattle, a comprehensive city blueprint associated with the City Beautiful move-

ment of the early 20th century, which used traditional European urban designs with the vision of impacting social improvement. Though Seattle voters ultimately rejected the plan mostly due to cost, Gould continued to champion it out of his sense of civic consciousness.

Henry Suzzallo, then UW president, was a patron of Gould’s, sharing his vision for the university for more than a decade.

But it seems politics ended their era. Suzzallo had successfully campaigned for an eight-hour workday and other rights for lumber employees during World War I— concessions that rankled the new state governor, Roland Hartley, a lumberman from Everett.

Hartley challenged the UW’s use of public funds. Suzzallo denounced Hartley, and when the legislature passed the university’s increased budget over the governor’s veto, Hartley instructed the Board of Regents not to spend the money. When they did, he replaced a number of regents and the new board demanded Suzzallo’s resignation. In less than a month, Gould received a letter from the board’s chairman asking for his resignation, too.

Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives, Item 2098

Design work for the Seattle Art Museum in Volunteer Park, now the Seattle Asian Art Museum, began in 1931, a year after Bliss Hall was built.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx

Trevor Klein ’03

Suzzallo Library (1924) was one of the 18 buildings Bebb & Gould designed for the University of Washington’s core campus, most in the 1920s.

In the 1920s and ’30s, Bebb & Gould designed more than 200 projects, including commercial buildings, notable homes, schools, churches, hospitals, and monuments. They designed the administration building at the Hiram S. Chittenden Locks in Ballard; the Times Square Building, a wedge-shaped structure in downtown Seattle; and what was originally the U.S. Marine Hospital, later became Amazon headquarters, and is now Pacific Medical Center, on the northern brow of Beacon Hill. Gould’s consummate achievement—one that won him a prestigious national award—was the Seattle Art Museum in Volunteer Park, which opened in 1933. (It’s now the Seattle Asian Art Museum.)

In these years of achievement, Bebb & Gould designed St. Nicholas School on Capitol Hill in 1925. They broke ground on the first four buildings of the new Lakeside campus, including Bliss Hall, in April 1930; the school opened that fall. According to biographers Booth and Wilson, the likely models for Lakeside were Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, which Gould attended for a year, along with Phillips Academy, Andover, in Massachusetts.

The Academy Building at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire is similar in style to Gould’s Bliss Hall. Both Exeter, which Gould attended for his senior year, and Phillips Academy, Andover are believed to have been models for his Lakeside designs.

A virtual exhibit Building Blis s: The History of Lakeside’s Most Iconic Building is a new virtual exhibit featuring a selection of archival records and photographs documenting the history of Bliss Hall, on view at www.lakesideschool.org/archives. Leslie A. Schuyler is archivist of the Jane Carlson Williams ’60 Archives at Lakeside School. Contact her at 206-440-2895 or archives@lakesideschool.org if you have questions or materials that you wish to donate, or visit the archives’ Web page.

They write that the Lakeside master plan follows that of those and other Eastern prep schools in its arrangement of Colonialstyle, red-brick buildings trimmed in white with playing fields nearby.

While the reigning style of Gould’s day was Neoclassical, Larry Kreisman, program director at Historic Seattle and author of numerous books on Northwest art and architecture, says Gould’s focus was Modernism, though he was educated in and also designed in Romanesque and, as seen in his UW campus buildings, Gothic styles.

He even designed in Rustic styles, primarily seen in the Northwest’s national park buildings.

“And he had a broader view than just an individual building,” Kreisman says. “That came to play on the UW campus where

the buildings’ relationships with each other were considered as well as the spaces in between. And his internal spaces are still wonderfully special places for anyone who uses them today.”

“I can only think,” says Kreisman, “that he probably relished the idea of working on an East Coast Colonial Revival set of buildings for Lakeside. It’s not a commonly seen style in the West. In fact, he was adept at doing everything and anything.” ■ Sources for this story include: Leslie A. Schuyler, archivist of the Jane Carlson Williams ’60 Archives at Lakeside School; Carl F. Gould: A Life in Architecture and the Arts, by T. William Booth and William H. Wilson; The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 24; HistoryLink.org; Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects, Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, editor; Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County, Lawrence Kreisman.

Bliss architect

9

10

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

t

by CAREY QUAN GELERNTER

eachers are in the nation’s eye and on its agenda in a way they haven’t been in years, if ever. Hardly a day goes by without a headline about research, debates, political maneuverings, and philanthropic endeavors related to how to ensure good teachers and good schools for all America’s children.

We heard President Obama in his State of the Union address hold up good teaching as key to the country “winning the future,” and saw him launch his Race to the Top competition dangling money for states that adopt his reform agenda. The movie Waiting for Superman debuted to predictions it could do for education what the director’s previous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, did for the environment—sparking heated debate over teacher accountability, merit pay, unions, and charter schools.

photo illustration by TOM REESE

anticipated careers there, Chrissie in Africa, Kate in South America. Instead, they changed course to be part of the national movement to tackle the academic achievement gap in public schools. Both joined Teach for America, which recruits top college graduates for two-year stints teaching in struggling schools.

Today, Kate Coxon is a key player in a small but leading-edge charter school network in California with an important technology component, heavyweight backers, and ambitious plans to serve as a national model.

Chrissie Coxon, who this fall returned to Seattle with Teach for America’s highest award to her name, became a local symbol in the crusade for remaking schools when she was featured both on King 5 News and in The Seattle Times. She’s teaching at a Seattle public school that has

Suddenly, everybody who’s anybody is talking about...

(retienventing ) aching Millions of dollars in research efforts on what is effective teaching and how to validly measure it seem to be sprouting everywhere, notably by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At Teach for America’s recent 20th anniversary summit, leaders predicted “our Egypt moment”—a historic opportunity, given the country’s pressing needs and the current spotlight, for “a revolution” to transform K-12 education so that “poverty is not destiny.”

In this Lakeside magazine, we look at some of these national issues through the eyes of two alumnae sisters working on the frontlines of reforming education, and also consider some ways they play out in Lakeside’s own educational mission.

Chrissie Coxon ’03 and Kate Coxon ’01 both graduated college Phi Beta Kappa, studied and worked overseas and

been one of Seattle’s worst performing, but has a big federal grant to relaunch as a “transformation” school.

We asked the Coxon sisters about their journeys, their views on some of the hot-button education issues today, and what they foresee as the future of teaching; find condensed edited versions of the Q&As starting on page 13.

We also turn attention to several Lakeside initiatives this year on good teaching and good teachers: the founding of a new online academy initiated by Lakeside (page 28); “Lakeside TED talks” in which 12 teachers shared their innovative methods and insights with each other (page 24); Lakeside school leaders’ visits to peer schools across the country to research great teaching ideas (page 25); and the continuing evolution of Lakeside’s way of evaluating teachers to promote excellent teaching (page 26).

Reinventing Teaching

11

local media spotlights

Ch r i s s i e C oxo n ’ 0 3

Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times

“Chrissie Coxon, one of a dozen new teachers at West Seattle Elementary, is embracing the challenge of turning the school around,” The Seattle Times reported in September. By spring, the principal reported that students were on track for 2½ years’ growth in math and 1½ years’ growth in reading.

The Seattle Times is featuring teacher Chrissie Coxon ’03 and her high-energy, achievement-focused 4th-grade class as part of its coverage this year of West Seattle Elementary’s efforts to dramatically improve. KING-5 TV spotlighted her, too, as part of NBC’s “Education Nation” series.

Check out the article and video that show how “cheery but strict” Coxon is creating a class culture of serving community, setting big goals, and constantly measuring progress. West Seattle Elementary is to receive a $1.2 million grant over three years, as one of three struggling schools in Seattle, 18 in the state, and hundreds more nationally, to get federal “transformation” grants, which include requirements such as new leadership and transfers out for teachers who don’t perform well.

Find links to The Seattle Times article with video, and to KING-5’s feature, at www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS

(

12

January-March 2010

August 24, 2010

Influential media draw attention to a growing body of knowledge on the specific practices that make for great teaching, including The New York Times’ “How to Build a Better Teacher,” and The Atlantic’s “What Makes a Great Teacher?”

Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion controversial federal K-12 grant competition, launched in 2009, announces its second round of winners.

States must promise innovations in areas such as expansion of charter schools, turning around

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Teaching with heart, tough smarts, a relentless focus on results

a

fter two years teaching in the South Bronx and a year founding a charter school in Newark, N.J., Chrissie Coxon ’03 returned to Seattle last fall to teach 4th grade at West Seattle Elementary. She’d deliberately “sought out a school where the achievement gap was pretty much at its worst.”

As part of a federally funded “transformation,” West Seattle’s teachers had to agree to longer hours and for their

Q.

performance to be measured, including being judged in part by their students’ test scores. About half the teachers agreed to stay; Chrissie was one of 12 new teachers brought in to lead change.

You recently wrote in a blog about Teach for America: “As an undergraduate, I studied political science and African studies and was struck by the number of highly capable students engaged on issues of international inequity, compared with the relatively few who engaged with and worked to reconcile issues of inequity here at home.

“It was with this spirit that I became a third grade teacher in the South Bronx.”

You had been cofounder of Stanford Students taking Action in Darfur, coordinator of a Rwandan Genocide Conference, and director of the Roosevelt’s Center on International Development, Democracy and Health at Stanford (a student think tank).

Then this switch. Can you explain a bit more?

grant and worked four months in Kigali Central Hospital on a health project; I wanted a skill set to contribute positively to the present and future in the country.

But then from Rwanda I went directly to the “Stanford in Washington” program. That created for me a jarring juxtaposition—students like myself were willing to spend their life pursuing international injustice, while being right in a city like ➢

A. There was a pretty key transformation for me when I was in college. Throughout childhood, I was fascinated by the Holocaust, and questions of injustice: how could the world act in such a way? I took [Lakeside Head of School] Bernie’s Holocaust class my senior year. Then the summer before college, a friend’s parent gave me Philip Gourevitch’s book, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda.

I went to Stanford really impassioned about studying conflict resolution, specifically the Rwandan genocide. I got a research Courtesy of Kate Coxon ’01

Alumnae Chrissie and Kate Coxon both graduated from college Phi Beta Kappa, worked overseas, joined Teach for America, and are working to end educational inequity.

failing schools, and including student-achievement data in evaluating teacher quality—prompting more than 40 states to change policies and laws in order to be eligible.

September 24, 2010 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces on The Oprah Winfrey Show he’s giving $100 million in Facebook stock to help improve dismal Newark, N.J. public schools, as the first focus of a new education fund he’s launched, Startup: Education.

)

Reinventing Teaching

13

for African affairs. (Laughs.)

Q. Your sister Kate’s stories about Teach for America were daunting. But that didn’t stop you.

A. No. I wanted the most extreme experience I could find. I thought the Bronx might fit the bill. And it did. But it was a neat place to be teaching because it was also a decade deep in ed reform. Over the two years I visited 20 high-performing charter schools and I was spending three and four nights a week going to their free workshops.

Q. Your second year, 2009, you won a major award, the Courtesy Chrissie Coxon ’03

Chrissie Coxon took her South Bronx students to Washington, D.C. From her scrapbook: “Mohamed & Fatoumata, brother and sister, recently immigrated from Guinea. Fatoumata’s words on this day? ‘If I never moved here, I wouldn’t be seeing the White House and dreaming the way I am now!’” ➢ CHRISSIE COXON ’03

Washington, D.C., where, travel to the end of the Green Line (transit) and you have injustice that looks different but is of equal gravity to what you find in the developing world.

Q. Were there some specific instances of inequity in D.C. that particularly hit you?

A. I babysat during Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at the homeless shelter, and no one else in my program would go. A different [student] group wanted to engage on and learn about urban poverty in D.C. and this nonprofit organized a ride for them on a bulletproof bus through Southeast D.C. and wouldn’t let them get off.

I decided I couldn’t commit myself to a life of pursuing international inequity without A, engaging with, and B, trying to do something to reconcile inequity here at home.

Then, providentially, Rafe Esquith [a celebrated teacher in a low-income L.A. public school, author of Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire] brought his students to “Stanford in Washington.” He was just a real bright spot in terms of the impact a highly effective teacher devoted to his students could really have.

My mom’s a teacher, my sister was in Teach for America at that time; I had thought that teaching was something I might do at the end of my career. But I asked myself, ‘what would it be like to engage with it right here and now?’

Q. Why did you say, at the end of your career?

A. Because I thought I wanted to be assistant secretary of state

( 14

Sue Lehman Excellence in Teaching award, Teach for America’s national prize for teachers with the strongest academic results. You also described the difficulties. You broke up 11 fights in a day.

A. Until Thanksgiving my first year, I confessed I was half teacher, half bouncer. By winter break I’d done a little better.

Q. What were the biggest surprises of those years in New

York and then the following year as a cofounder of a charter school in Newark, N.J.? What don’t people understand that you’d like them to understand?

A. I think there’s a misunderstanding of the need for a “superteacher.” I was able to make significant academic gains with my students, even though I didn’t have experience and I had huge growth to make. But by having certain routines in place, and moving toward a certain culture in my classroom, my students were able to improve by more than two years in reading and average above 80 percent proficiency on the state math standards. To me it highlighted the feasibility of making real progress toward closing the achievement gap.

The achievement gap isn’t a product of ill-will, it’s not because of a deficit of good intentions. My experience everywhere I have taught is that in general teachers are kind people, committed to service, that love kids. But that doesn’t mean necessarily that you’re a good teacher.

Q. You testified at a heated Seattle School board meeting

about whether the district should accept Teach for America teachers (the vote was to accept). One “con” argument is that because the program only requires a two-year commitment, the poorest schools with the highest number of students of color, who need the stability most, will be subjected to more teacher turnover.

September 24, 2010

failings of the American public education system.

Waiting for Superman hits theaters. The documentary by the director of An Inconvenient Truth tugs at heartstrings as it follows students who must pin hopes for a good education on a lottery—spurring heated debate over how to fix the

December 6, 2010

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2010

Michelle Rhee—hard-charging one-time chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools—appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Newsweek’s

Trevor Klein ’03

Lakeside 6th graders and Chrissie Coxon’s West Seattle Elementary 4th graders made a mosaic mural together for the West Seattle Food Bank as part of a joint service-learning project this fall and winter.

A. Churn is a silly accusation. At low-performing schools it exists no matter what kinds of teachers you hire. The culture of TFA, the resources it brings, the pro-activity of the teachers—I’ve seen in multiple districts that it transforms schools and systems.

TFA talks about how their mission is to build a movement, and they want people at the top levels of all sectors of society that have a deep conviction that all children can and will learn.

And it’s going to take that to push the line forward nationally in education. I think that’s true.

Q. You came back to Seattle to begin this fall teaching

4th grade at West Seattle Elementary, as part of an effort to transform the school. This must be a lot of pressure.

A. It’s a funny thing. When I first became a teacher, my identity was in my cause. My second semester, I converted to Christianity.

Now my passion for students and serving low-income popula-

cover the same day to announce a new political advocacy group, StudentsFirst to “change the balance of power in public education” to favor children.

tion is the same but my heart behind it is changed. It’s total grace that I’m a better teacher than I was before.

Q. Why is that?

A. Because I’m not my job.

Q. But from what I read, the West Seattle teachers are

working 12-hour days, and you’ve been hosting your students for dinner at your house, as well. The transformation grant and Teach For America say that poverty is a challenge but significant gains are possible with effective teaching, leadership, and support for students. It does seem to take pretty intense efforts, going above-and-beyond.

A. In a way, but I think our cultural consensus that this is aboveand-beyond comes from having too low an expectation of, or ➢

December 10, 2010 Measure of Effective Teaching project, a $45 million study of 3,000 teachers nationwide funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, releases early findings suggesting that teachers’ “value added” scores (a measurement of the ➢

)

Reinventing Teaching

15

➢ CHRISSIE COXON ’03

value for, what teaching should actually look like. It certainly takes more than the contractual school day.

Q. An important part of your program at West Seattle is

getting parents involved. What difference has this made?

A. TFA teaches that you have to invest not only in students but in their role models. Before the school year starts, I visit students and their parents at home, to give them a foretaste how things in my class might be different, and to get to know them. I have them write a hope and dream they have for 4th grade or the future. That way I have a positive relationship in place with parents before I make demands or I might have to give them some positive feedback—some warm, firm feedback—if there’s a behavioral issue, or homework not getting done, or just not adequate academic progress being made. I don’t think it would be appropriate to engage with parents if you didn’t know them.

Q. The school year is not over, but what do you see so far?

A. To me the academic achievement is boilerplate. You have to do that, that’s nonnegotiable, and it’s not rocket science. But what stirs my affection for the profession is vision building: connecting students’ lives to people who have gone before, who work hard, overcome challenges, and help others. We call them “boundary breakers.” I want them to have the concept that their skills are to the service of their vision for society, not to just to ‘check the box.’

My students build relationships real and imagined [virtually, and through in-class appearances and class trips] with people who have done incredible things. Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Congressman John Lewis.

We use that person as an example of how actions can reflect beliefs. And then we connect those beliefs to ourselves and how our actions can show who we are in the classroom. We have class values. I find that by having that kind of positive aspirational culture in the class, it makes the kids much more willing to engage in long division.

Q. Any testing results so far? [Most at West Seattle started the year at least one year behind where they should be in reading and math.]

A. The numbers are changing, I just got a new student—I get a new student every month; there’s more transiency here than I’ve had before. My class average (as of January testing) is around a year reading growth. We just got our math scores back for the school: every grade level is above average, in academic progress students have made from fall testing to January testing.

( 16

improvement of their students on standardized tests) and student surveys of their teachers, particularly of their ability to control a classroom and challenge students with rigorous work, are good at identifying effective teachers.

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Q. There’s been a lot of debate about student testing and the use of it to measure teacher effectiveness, the notion of “value added.” [Note: The “value added” approach compares a teacher’s students’ performance on standardized tests to their performance in previous years.]

A. I think it’s an important way to identify urgent situations.

I think it can be really useful instructionally. But I become frustrated when it becomes the object of teaching—which I think is sadly true in most places, most Title 1 places [schools that qualify for supplemental federal funds based on their number of at-risk and low-income students].

Q. Is there an alternative?

A. (Long pause.) Yes. No. (Laughs.) If a student is having an off day, if there are issues of compliance, the data will look a certain way—and then professional development and teacher development are crafted based from this data point that may or may not reflect reality. But at the same time, testing shames excuse makers and highlights excuse breakers. Do I like it? No. But is it important? Yes.

Q. There have been some pretty fierce debates about charter schools (which Washington state has voted down) as one way to spark reform and more teacher accountability. What are your thoughts?

A. I taught at a charter, I helped found Spark Academy in New Jersey. It was a sensational experience. Every member of my staff was highly capable. Zealously committed. And reliable. There are few staffs at traditional public schools you could say that about.

But there are wildly effective charter schools and wildly ineffective charter schools. For me it’s about looking at student outcomes and classroom-based practices. It’s those charter schools where both of those things are excellent that excite me and I’d want to have everywhere in America.

Q. And you believe it’s easier to have those things in charter schools than in traditional public schools?

A. Yes. You’re not beholden to the bureaucratic politics.

Q. Teachers’ unions say they are being unfairly bashed.

A. I think unions operate outside the area they’re meant to. Do I value the union? Absolutely. We had a labor violation in New York and the union performed its function there and I was grateful to have it. But when on the day I was going to testify for Teach

January 25, 2011 President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address, calls improved education critical for America’s future; says we must give teachers more respect, “reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones”; and, noting

Uncommon Schools’ Doug Lemov’s book, Teach Like a Champion, which Lakeside is also using, that documents some of the best teaching around the country, down to the details of how you pass out papers the most efficiently so you waste the least amount of time, to how to ask questions so students don’t have the chance to “opt out” of answering.

But it seems surprising that people still have to research these things. With the Gates Foundation study, Bill Gates ’73 is quoted in The New York Times saying, “Unfortunately, it seems the field doesn’t have a clear view of what characterizes good teaching. I’m personally very curious.”

A. Culturally teaching is seen as an experience, rather than an outcome-based occupation. ‘I want to BE a teacher, not I want to teach.’ To me, functionally I’m only teaching if there’s evidence of progress in my students. That evidence can look multiple ways: It can be a test, a performance task, development of oral language, it can be self control, it can be lots of things. But if there’s no evidence of progress, what have I really done?

Courtesy of Chrissie Coxon ’03

Coxon assigned her students to brainstorm three-word phrases to describe the important values shared by the class. This is one student’s list.

for America, I got an e-mail sent to (our union’s) membership, saying TFA violates the civil rights of children, I failed to see that utility.

Q. It’s about jobs, tenure, seniority, isn’t it?

A. In the Bronx, there were some teachers who weren’t mentally sound, weren’t kind, weren’t effective, had been in for 30 years or more, were pulling 96K from the budget. They didn’t want to be there, the principals couldn’t figure out what to do with them.

They would literally sit in the corners of classrooms.

My vision for the union is that it makes teaching a safe, legal profession for the people who are in it. It becomes frustrating when it dictates policy or controls who can or can’t do the job they’re advocating for.

Q. There’s been an explosion of late in research and projects

studying how to be an effective teacher, for example, by Teach for America, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project. And

looming retirements of baby boomer teachers, challenges young people: “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation…become a teacher. Your country needs you.”

Q. This fall and winter, you, your fellow teacher Richie

Garcia, and your two 4th-grade classes had a joint service learning project to build a mosaic mural with the entire 6th grade at Lakeside. The mural is now displayed at the West Seattle Food Bank, a few blocks from your elementary school.

What did your students’ gain from the experience?

A. I think they definitely benefited from seeing a positive example of independence and peer leadership: the Lakeside students self-managed how to get through the task, they were intrinsically motivated, they didn’t need an adult incentivizing their actions.

That’s really good for my students to see.

For my students in the past, with the situation the school has been in, school has been a place they have to go, not a place that they come to do.

Mr. Garcia and I are getting real creative about how we can shatter that. This project has been a real life model for that.

Q. Did you have any hesitation about your students seeing Lakeside, given the contrast between the schools, in terms of the resources?

A. No, I don’t try to soften blows for my students or keep secrets.

We have very real discussions about what the achievement gap is, what that means statistically for them. We all stood up and I had ➢

February 4, 2011 Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn raises hopes for charter schools in Washington by convening a City Hall meeting to talk about them ➢ with city, school, union, foundation, and university leaders. ➢ This state is one of 10 without them, voters ➢

)

Reinventing Teaching

17

Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times

“Elisha Reynolds, left, teacher Chrissie Coxon and Clenisha Terrell jump rope at West Seattle Elementary. Coxon is serious about boosting achievement but likes to have fun, too,” read the caption in The Seattle Times. ➢ CHRISSIE COXON ’03

everyone but two sit down, and said, statistically this is how many of you will graduate from college.

Q. Will that be discouraging? You tell them they’re the

Stanford class of 2023.

A. I tell them they’re the Stanford class of 2023, but they understand that’s aspirational. I don’t want them to think they’re entitled to it or it will happen just because they want it to. We talk very explicitly and regularly about how we’re climbing this steep, narrow path to college. And seeing our school performance data,

postscript

: As we go to press, Chrissie Coxon has announced she’s taking a job to create a religious-education curriculum for the 1,500 children of Seattle-based Mars Hill Church. She says she’ll stay involved with West Seattle Elementary, tutoring and continuing to share dinners with her students at her small apartment a few blocks from the school.

( 18

having nixed the idea of publically funded, privately run schools three times, most recently in 2004.

February 12, 2011 Teach for America draws 11,000 alums and allies

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

understanding where they fall in the achievement gap, I think stirs some of them to strive in a way they wouldn’t if they didn’t have that awareness of the reality they’re in.

Q. You shared with The Seattle Times what your students

wrote in reaction to that data: One wrote, “It makes me feel like slavery all over again,” and another wrote, “It makes me so mad it makes me want to pull out my hair. But instead I’ll work hard and go to college.”

A. It’s heartening to me to see how much my students want to be changed. They want to be changed, they want to become people different than they are now. They want to do well. They absolutely do. I do very little, they do very much. It’s just a treasure to be able to see that happen in them.

The eyebrow is often raised: Can students of this population really become these things, really perform? My experience is, absolutely. How dare you suggest otherwise. ■

Kate Coxon ’ 0 1 With a start-up attitude, she blends technology, charterschool ideals, to rocket kids to success

k

ate Coxon ’01, 28, is a key player at Rocketship Education, a small network of charter schools that’s gaining national

attention for its hybrid learning model: Students spend 75 percent of their day in class with teachers who focus on higher-order learning skills, and a quarter of their day online practicing basic skills. Savings from needing fewer teachers pay for principal training, academic deans focused on teacher development, higher pay for teachers, and individual tutoring.

With three high-performing public K-5 schools in highpoverty parts of San Jose, Rocketship plans to open 30 more by 2015—to start. Its CEO John Danner, an Internet entrepreneur who founded, took public, and sold an Internet advertising software firm and then went on to become a teacher and charter-school movement leader, intends Rocketship to serve as an affordable, scalable national model for how to end the achievement gap.

It’s being helped by having high-powered connections in the technology, foundation, and charter worlds, including national strategy board cochairs Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix and former president of California’s state board of education; and Don Shalvey, a deputy director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

to a summit marking the 20th anniversary of the fast-growing organization that places young college grads as teachers for two-year stints in high-poverty public schools. Speakers call ending inequality of schools the civil rights issue of this generation.

Courtesy of Kate Coxon ’01

Kate Coxon, after a family literacy event (“tired!”) at Rocketship Education, a network of high-performing K-5 charter schools in high-poverty parts of San Jose, Calif., that’s gaining favorable national attention.

Q. After Lakeside, you were awarded the very prestigious, full-ride merit Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina, where you graduated Phi Beta Kappa in political science and creative writing. How did you decide to join Teach for America?

A. Our parents had been in the Peace Corps after college, we had that model of service from an early age. And also, going to a place like Lakeside, I had been involved in lots of service projects and was pretty aware of my interest in service.

When I came back from studying in Chile and Bolivia, I wanted to find work that tackled social problems and allowed me to use my Spanish. I connected with an organization that ran a homeless shelter, had a food bank, and made grants for financially struggling families. We could help them keep the lights on a little longer but it wasn’t something that was really transform- ➢

Spring 2011 Teachers find themselves targeted in many states’ budget battles, notably Wisconsin, as collective bargaining for public employees comes under attack. The New York Times headlines a story, “Teachers Wonder, Why the Heapings of Scorn?” ■

)

Reinventing Teaching

19

Courtesy of Rocketship Education

During part of their day, Rocketship students are assigned to individualized online curricula, and to intervention programs as needed. Kate Coxon oversees Rocketship’s curricula and academic model. ➢ KATE COXON ’01

ing the lives of those families.

I was hearing more and more about Teach for America. One of the things that really drew me was that their recruiters on campus were very professional and aggressive in the same way as the top consulting companies. They conveyed a sense of urgency about tackling the achievement gap, and also were able to sell teaching as a profession that requires leadership and analytical skills.

Q. Teach for America sent you to the very poor Alum Rock Union Elementary School District in San Jose; you taught there for three years, 5th grade and 1st grade. Can you give some insight about why you left?

A. One day the district was doing an audit of different schools and they showed up for a surprise visit; my 1st-grade-level partners and I had not been using the scripted curriculum prior to our morning recess. We realized they were doing an audit, came back from recess, and we all start the scripted curriculum. (The auditors) walk into all the first grade classrooms, we’re all literally on the same page at the same time. That was what we got positive feedback about; nothing about what the students were doing, it was, ‘You must be great because you’re all on the same page of the scripted curriculum at the same time!’

Q. You didn’t think the curriculum was effective, I guess?

A. Pieces are really great, but there are pieces that are really

20

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

inauthentic or where the structure or pacing doesn’t work as well for students. It was frustrating to be in an environment where I felt you literally had to be on the same page at the same time as the other teachers no matter how the students were performing.

Q. Rocketship Education launched its first school in 2007 and you joined the second year, 2008, as a 1st-grade literacy teacher. A second Rocketship school opened in 2009 and you became academic dean, responsible for mentoring teachers and for the tutoring program. You did that for a year, and now you’ve been promoted to manager of individualized learning, overseeing curricula and Rocketship’s academic model. That’s a quick rise.

A. It’s definitely been a steep learning curve. It’s both exciting and sometimes I have to take a deep breath and remind myself I have a really solid team with me.

Q. And you’re on track to open two more schools in the fall?

A. Yes. We had our first lottery; teachers are on board, construction’s on schedule.

Q. A lottery because there’s not enough room for those who want to get in?

A. Yes.

Q. There is passionate and acrimonious debate over the

value of public charter schools. Proponents see them as shaking up a stultified, mediocre education system. But opponents point to the statistic that 37 percent of charters performed worse than traditional schools, and only 17 percent performed better.

A. Charters run the gamut from schools operated by people who just want to open one site, they have a great idea but may or may not have a lot of skills to execute, to people who are part of a charter management organization (CMO) that has a little more experience in opening schools and often more operational expertise as well. The figures are considerably better for the subset of schools operated by CMOs, and Rocketship falls into that category.

It concerns me that charter schools that are performing badly continue to stay open more often than they should. Because charters are allowed to have more flexibility, they must be accountable for student results.

Q. Rocketship has ambitious hopes for your hybrid model

to be replicated on a mass scale. [CEO John Danner also has been quoted as saying school quality at scale will be achieved by a few organizations that run thousands of schools more than thousands of networks that run a few schools.]

A. The hybrid model is something where we’ve done a tremendous amount of learning in the past couple of years, and we’ll continue to learn quite a bit more.

The first year that Rocketship was in operation, 2007, students were on computers and they were doing something, it was not mass chaos, but it also wasn’t a really productive use of learning time. We abide by all the state regulations about instructional minutes, students still had as much time, actually more time, with their teacher than they would have in a traditional school, and they had this computer time added on to it.

It was an important step for Rocketship [in working toward the hybrid model] but the computer programs themselves were not all that productive.

We’re now getting to the place where we better understand how to make those programs productive and what gains we think we actually get from those programs. That is something I think would be applicable with any school model, especially when the reporting tools are better, like Teacher Dashboard.

That’s an online tool we’re creating to make it easier for teachers to get data on how successful they are, how their students are doing in the online programs, and then use the data to assign kids to different intervention programs and online curricula.

Q. Your school scores look very good. Your first school

matches the results of Palo Alto—a highly regarded, wealthy school district. The first two Rocketship schools placed in the 5th and 10th positions, respectively, for all California schools with similar low-income populations of students (e.g., 70 percent qualify for free/reduced meals). [The third school just opened this past fall.]

Tom Reese

Teachers+computers= hybrid learning

Kate Coxon holds up an illustration of Rocketship’s learning model.

The symbol of teacher and child marks the times during the day spent with teachers in the classroom learning higher-order skills (75 percent of their day). The computer symbols indicate the times they spend online in the Learning Lab, learning basic skills under supervision by non-certificated teachers. The savings from needing fewer teachers goes into principal training, academic deans focused on teacher development, higher pay for teachers, and individual tutoring.

A. To be transparent, Rocketship has been doing a lot to pioneer this hybrid school model—we’re providing more and more tools to teachers each year—but the way we got those results so far is really through the quality of our teachers, their devotion to their students and their understanding of what the students need. So, hybrid model: helpful, getting better, has huge promise, I’m really passionate about working on it; but when people ask how we got those results, I have to give credit to our great, great teachers.

Q. You’re not expanding into middle or high schools?

A. We have learned a lot about how to run good elementary schools. There’s a need to scale quickly and grow quickly in order to have a large impact on the achievement gap, and it doesn’t make sense for us to grow at the same time we also try to nail down a middle or high school model.

Q. Involving parents is a big part of your model, including connecting parents to political and grassroots community organizations organizing for education reform. Can you talk about harnessing parent power?

A. We have monthly meetings with parents, to make sure they know what’s happening at the site, we also have a fun monthly parent-family event, like a movie night; once a year it’s a big trip to college, this fall we took 1,000 families to University of California, Santa Cruz. We have a home visit for each family at least ➢ Reinventing Teaching

21

how much was focused on fun games for adults, doing things that were supposed to be fun and take our minds off things. That’s not something I’m drawn to. Rocketship people are incredibly smart and driven; we have a lot of fun together, but we’re not as warm and fuzzy. The focus is on student results.

Q. With interactive, education software companies

whose products you use, DreamBox Learning, Headsprout, Reasoning Mind, do you also have some give-and-take on what you need and what they produce? You’ve come up to Seattle to work with DreamBox, which is based in this area, right?

once a year and parent-teacher conferences three times a year, if not more frequently.

We ask families to commit to 30 hours [volunteering for the school] each year, and more than 90 percent of parents do. Once the parents are plugged in at school, we work with several community organizations to tackle that grassroots political aspect.

A. Yes, absolutely true. We’re looking for programs that really understand the skill level of individual students using it. If a student is struggling, we want it ideally on a problemto-problem basis to be able to adapt up or down depending on how they’re doing and provide them with support. So you can say, I want this student to work on fractions, ideally as specific as those with unlike denominators, and it adapts up or down depending on how the kid is doing before it proceeds with whatever the next standard in the sequence is.

We’re a small market for these vendors now; they’re not making changes because we’re buying so many of their subscriptions, they’re making changes because they think [our model] is a good bet for certain schools who will be using their product 5-10 years from now.

Q. How do you evaluate your teachers?

Q. Your CEO John Danner is on DreamBox’s board.

Courtesy of Kate Coxon ’01

“Kids at Rocketship are called “Rocketeers,” Kate Coxon explains, adding, “The 1st graders were a bit off with the spelling.” ➢ KATE COXON ’01

A. Most of our teacher evaluation currently is centered on, how are your students performing and how much have you been able to help them grow across the course of the year?

There’s classroom observation, and then there’s the data on how the kids are performing. You also track things like parent volunteer hours.

Teacher bonuses are dependent on student results.

Overwhelmingly they have qualified for those bonuses.

Q. There’s been a lot of interest in charters by the corporate

world. Some critics of charters are suspicious about that, while proponents sometimes suggest the entrepreneurial mindset lends itself to innovative solutions.

A. It’s hard not to resonate with some of the concerns that if businesses run our schools this is something to be very worried about. I get that. But that entrepreneurial mindset that’s really focused on how kids are performing is important, and I can point to a number of cases, Rocketship is one, where students are performing better because of that.

I‘d hypothesize that entrepreneurial mindset probably draws in a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t have thought about tackling education problems, and wouldn’t be that interested if they didn’t have a little more flexibility and weren’t able to be more results oriented. I am one of them.

[In contrast] in a lot of credentialing programs, or when I’d go to professional development with the school district, it was really infuriating how warm and fuzzy it was, and 22

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

A. Yes. Rocketship is taking a proactive role with DreamBox, Reasoning Mind, and others to move the market to create content that produces student gains.

Q. Also Reed Hastings, cochair of your strategic

advisory board (once a high school teacher with the Peace Corps in Swaziland), bought DreamBox but donated his shares to the philanthropic educational investment fund Charter School Growth Fund, which gave Rocketship a grant. The Gates Foundation is one of the backers of the Charter Fund. The fund and Hastings agreed to jointly invest $10 million to be able to expand DreamBox. Hastings is on Microsoft’s board, and your strategy board cochair Don Shalvey is deputy director of the Gates Foundation. What does it accomplish having all these connections, what is the idea?

A. The idea to be able to get hybrid schools right. To have the kind of funding that we need to grow and scale quickly.

To have a school model that is replicable and will work if you were to change the leader of an individual school. A lot of charter schools are really dependent on the charisma and person of the school leader. We want to have a model that works irrespective of which great leader you plug in.

And also to make hybrid schools work, you need productive software—they have to be able to develop tools that are

Courtesy of Kate Coxon ’01

Rocketship students having fun experimenting with “oobleck.” Because of the popularity of Rocketship, lotteries are used to determine who gets into its public charter schools.

meaningful to teachers and help kids learn.

Q. Given so many developments, from Race to the Top, to Waiting for Superman, Zuckerberg’s donation, etc., do you see a realistic chance that we’re on the verge of seeing a real realignment in the idea of reinventing teaching?

A. It’s great to see that momentum, really exciting to see a movie about an issue so close to my heart. If the momentum continues, yes, there’s a reasonable chance we could really change what schools look like in the U.S. and really tackle that achievement gap. It worries me from within the charter world how we are able to sustain people in that work, so we can solve these problems.

It’s not something that is going to be a quick fix. It will take models like Rocketship and whatever else.

Q. Other models?

A. As much as I love Rocketship, I don’t think the answer is a Rocketship school for every school in the country. This is me

personally speaking now. Our schools are incredible. I also think parents want different things for kids. My parents chose to send me to Lakeside. They are not the same school. I think it’s important for people to be able to send their kids to great schools and for great schools to look like a variety of different things. I don’t think it’s healthy for there to be just one model for what a great school looks like.

Q. Speaking of Lakeside: Did you have any Lakeside experiences that were foundational in any way to what you’ve ended up doing?

A. One thing I think a lot about with Lakeside and my previous schooling is that the level of rigor of all my classes, the level of discussion, the challenge I felt was put before me, to be excited about learning, to dive in, that’s something Lakeside really formed in me. I didn’t feel as challenged by a lot of classes I had in college, after being at Lakeside. Lakeside really did make a difference in intellectually shaping me, and helping me learn how to tackle a problem and be excited and curious about things. ■ Reinventing Teaching

23

(Getting to Good Teaching) w

hat is good teaching? The deceptively simple question has been a focus of this year’s professional development efforts at Lakeside.

What follows are several examples; find another, about good online teaching, on page 28.

Teaching 21st century survival skills

24

LAKESIDE

instruction. And they incentivize good and not bad teaching.”

That drew big applause from Lakeside teachers.

Lakeside TED: Ideas worth spreading

live videoconference with Tony Wagner, Harvard University-based advocate of “reinventing the education profession,” opened the first day of school for faculty.

Wagner is codirector of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and author of The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—And What We Can Do About It. He shared his ideas for a major transformation in how teachers teach and test, and are held accountable for their teaching.

t “Lakeside TED,” 12 teachers nominated by peers each spoke on some aspect of, “What is good teaching?”

The idea for the January forum came in response to teachers’ requests for more professional development that focuses on the craft of teaching.

(The name is a takeoff on the renowned TED conferences devoted to “ideas worth spreading.” TED originally stood for Technology, Entertainment and Design.)

In his vision: Students work in teams, rather than alone and in competition, coached by teacher-teams. In a “merit-badge approach to learning,” students work at a skill or goal until they achieve competency, however long that takes, rather than getting grades based on how they perform on tests at a given time.

Wagner told the faculty that, as a one-time teacher at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., he could justify only three grades: B, signifying minimum competence; A, signifying excellence; or incomplete.

“We’re going to have to get more disciplined about defining what is competent in the course, and get tougher about defining excellence. Colleges will catch on.”

Heaping scorn on the federal “Race to the Top” emphasis on tests as benchmarks for students and teachers (“Race to the top of what? How do we know it’s the top and not the bottom?”), he argued that teachers should push for better professional assessments. For example, he’d require teachers to have digital portfolios, with samples of lessons and their students’ work, filmed focus groups of students talking about the class, and videos of teacher meetings with parents. (See page 26 for Lakeside’s unique evaluation system to promote effective teaching.)

“Our challenge as a profession is to professionalize teaching,” he said, pointing to the example of Finland, “the highest performing school system in the world,” where teachers are akin to scientists: “their classes are labs; they continue to improve

A few L-TED talks: Roller coaster ride: Lupe Fisch, Upper School languages department head, opened with the line, “I have come here with a confession. I love control, I love being the person in charge.” But, inspired by a workshop on “building studentlearning communities,” she took “the roller coaster ride” and ceded much control to her most advanced Spanish class. She set a few key guidelines, including that they publish their work to a class blog, but students decided everything from topics to deadlines. She could then work more closely with students who needed it. Result: The best work ever produced by students in that course.

There’s an app for that: Tom Rona, Middle School math teacher, presented his tongue-in-cheek idea for a phone app called “iObstacle” that lists troublesome teacher mindsets and how to overcome them (from, “I want to be liked” to “I’m addicted to my methodology”).

The apprentice: Sally Rupert, Upper School chemistry

Spring/Summer 2011

teacher, told how her teaching philosophy evolved after she took a detour from teaching to train with two master chefs: Lev, who was fanatical about her learning by strict following of recipes, and Jacques, who totally trusted her to invent. For Rupert, this became a metaphor for balancing the need to teach fundamentals with the need to encourage risk-taking.

One Cool Idea ou’ve heard of science fairs for students? In a twist on that idea, Lakeside teachers put on an “idea fair” this spring, complete with booths that showcased intriguing innovations in teaching they’d seen during visits to peer schools across the country.

The fair was the culmination of a yearlong project in which the 24 school leaders, most heads of departments, fanned out in pairs and threesomes to 16 schools. Their assignment: Bring back just “one cool idea.” It didn’t have to be something they thought Lakeside should adopt, but had to be worthy of mulling, as a way to spark fresh thinking.

Here are three of the coolest ideas: Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles area Cool idea: Student-leadership mentoring. At weekly Monday evening gatherings, hundreds of high-school students show up to eat pizza and then break into smaller groups led by junior-senior pairs, to confidentially talk over issues from relationships to school frustrations. (One adult counselor is on site, available if needed.) Juniors, trained in a yearlong class to spot and identify social and emotional issues, are the seniors’ apprentices; the following year, they mentor the next crop of juniors.

Lakeside takeaway: Bryan Smith, Upper School assistant director, and Michael Nachbar, Middle School assistant director, liked the idea of older students mentoring younger ones, and of formalized, progressive leadership training. They say the Monday night gatherings, helpful in creating community in a very large grades-7-12 school such as Harvard-Westlake, probably wouldn’t fit here, but they will be considering a possible future Middle-Upper School program.

Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire Cool idea: Harkness-based science. Teachers act as guides as they sit with their students around a table, but students take primary responsibility for asking and answering each others’ questions. Teachers construct challenging projects and lessons but do not lecture or direct discussions. This method

For more details about the “one cool idea” project, read an Inside Lakeside article

by Board Chair Connie Ballmer, at www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

(named after a philanthropist) relies on students reading much of the factual content of a learning unit outside of class; class time is reserved for problem solving and deeper exploration, which takes advantage of “multiple brains” thinking about an issue together. Students become experts at finding answers for themselves.

Lakeside takeaway: Caryn Abrey and Hans de Grys already have led Upper School science classes to begin incorporating aspects of the Harkness method. For instance, the introductory biology course has adopted a more detailed textbook so students can better tackle doing factual learning at home and spend class time on more complex group work. Harkness isn’t new to Lakeside—some English and history teachers use it at times—but that hadn’t been as true in science. Abrey says Lakeside is unlikely to adopt Harkness as its sole learning method, given a diverse faculty: “Some are formally trained as teachers, others come directly from universities, research, and other professional careers, and they bring different teaching philosophies—formal lectures, a Socratic approach, student-led discussions; I don’t think anyone would advocate abandoning these successful approaches.” However, she notes, a group of representative teachers from many disciplines recently met to discuss how to further incorporate the use of the Harkness method at Lakeside.

The School at Columbia University, New York City Cool idea: Theme-based studies. Teachers of at least four disciplines follow a single theme designated for each grade, such as “Self and Society: the Courage to Act” in 7th grade, meeting weekly to coordinate their lessons.

Lakeside takeaway: Middle School’s Ramon Esquivel, English department head, and Mirta Blat, languages department head, say integrated teaching is superior at showing students how things connect in the real world, or as Blat says, “It teaches the forest, not the trees.” Esquivel intends to fashion and propose a 5th- through 12th-grade curriculum built around themes, more sophisticated with each grade, about “defining what we mean by a global citizen.” ■

Reinventing Teaching

25

Emily Kim ’12

As part of their evaluations, Lakeside teachers submit portfolios with syllabi, graded student work, and lists of class activities.

The photos on this and the next page were included in the portfolio of Dale Bauer, Upper School photography teacher. From left, the artists and their assignments: Emily K. ’12 (egg); Zoe W. ’13 (self-portrait), and Mehak A. ’12 (free shooting).

Lakeside teachers are formally evaluated their second and fourth years, then every four years.

how Lakeside teachers

(Make the grade) ith so much national debate about how to fairly measure teacher effectiveness, a natural question arises: How does Lakeside evaluate its teachers?

The school’s approach is unusual in its combination of three key “carrot and stick” elements: • A teacher’s performance is assessed in multiple ways by multiple evaluators; • Whether teachers keep their jobs is tied directly to their evaluations; and • Teachers can tap many resources to develop new talents or bolster weaknesses.

An underlying principle of Lakeside’s evaluation system is that teaching is a profession just as much as medicine or law, says Elaine Christensen, director of faculty and staff programs and Upper School associate director.

“It’s a flaw in the culture of teaching in many places that it’s not seen as a professional endeavor, as we treat it here. It’s seen as personal and passion-driven,” she says. “Clearly that’s a piece,” but “effective teaching is not just about being charismatic and connecting with the kids. And we can be directive about the ways people grow as professional teachers.”

More details about evaluations: One-year contracts: All Lakeside teachers are on one26

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

year contracts renewable with satisfactory performance. “A key piece is that our evaluation system is linked to whether teachers get to keep their jobs,” says Christensen. “Most schools don’t have that,” she says, “especially independent schools.”

In public schools, meanwhile, teacher evaluations have historically been cursory and dismissals rare. But increasingly, and controversially, districts are mandating more ways to gauge teacher effectiveness, notably by student test scores, and are tying pay and job status to such ratings.

Lakeside evaluations cover classroom climate, instruction, professionalism, and planning and preparation. (Details are in the faculty handbook; for a link, go to: www.lakesideschool.org/ magazine). No consideration is being given to add students’ standardized test scores to the mix of what’s evaluated, Christensen says, despite the strong move for that in public education. “We work with a population that’s highly capable,” she says, “so for our students such tests aren’t significant as a measuring tool for teacher excellence.”

Extensive feedback: Teachers are formally evaluated their second and fourth years at Lakeside, then every four years. Department heads and division directors observe teachers’ classrooms three to five times; survey their students and key colleagues; and review teacher portfolios, which must include: copies

Zoe W. ’13

Want to see an example of a teacher’s three-year professional development plan? View Middle School history teacher Ted Chen’s, at www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

Mehak A. ’12

of syllabi; graded tests and papers; and lists of class activities.

The evaluators must always specify both teachers’ strengths, as well as areas for improvement with a plan of action.

Merit pay: While teachers’ pay is tied to their years of experience and what educational degrees they’ve obtained, the Oki Family Endowed Fund for Faculty Excellence also makes possible individual merit pay, typically $500 per person though it can be more. The Board of Trustees debated whether to accept such a fund, voting for it in 2005. The head of school decides on awards, which Christensen says function more as “thank you’s” than “incentives.”

Enrichment, support: Also typical for schools, teachers all have three-year professional development plans.

These form the basis for deciding how teachers are awarded (or assigned, as necessary) support or enrichment, such as conferences, classes, or travel. A variety of funds donated by alumni, parents, and foundations, cover costs.

With a new computerized tracking system, soon the school will be able to trace if individual teachers are tapping professional-development resources in all three desired areas: content expertise; teaching technique; and social/cultural competency (skills needed for working with adolescents of many backgrounds).

The teacher evaluation system was first introduced after a 2002 accreditation report faulted Lakeside for not having one; at the time, teacher resistance was fierce. But by 2007, an extensive internal survey of Lakeside teachers found they overwhelmingly praised the evaluation process as fair, thorough, and insightful.

Upper School teachers Karl Erickson, math, and Jake Clapp, science, for example, both say they value the feedback they get, “both the positive reinforcement and the constructive criticism,” as Erickson puts it.

“Lakeside has a culture of transparency largely because of its evaluation system,” Clapp adds. “It puts the quality of education that students here get as our number-one priority, and it makes us better teachers.” ■

Bernie Noe’s evaluation:

w

“What a gift to me —and my students”

hat does a constructive critique of a teacher look like?

Who better to put on the spot with this question than teacher Bernie Noe? Noe is head of school, but he also helms a hugely popular elective, Genocide in the Modern World. In the spirit of being a role model, when his turn to be evaluated came up more than a year ago, he wrote about it in his weekly letter to faculty and staff. He shared his great relief at getting a favorable write-up—“whew, I made it!”—and also this: “What I want to say is how amazing I found the process. I won’t say I loved it but I will say that it was maybe the most helpful look at my teaching I have experienced to date. Elaine [Elaine Christensen, director of faculty and staff programs] and Deb [Deb Johnston, Upper School history department head] were kind, clear, firm, thoughtful, and thorough. They pointed out to me how to better lead discussions, how to include quiet students, and even how I might more effectively organize the course. They also let me know I needed to make more use of the Web, and assign more graded exercises. I have taught this course for six years now and every one of their suggestions will make it a better course. I know it was a lot of work (the write-up alone was five pages, 10-point font). What a gift to me—and to my students.” ■ Reinventing Teaching

27

Lakeside Head of School Bernie Noe invited 15 peer U.S. and international schools to campus in March to discuss how a partnership could deliver on the promise of excellent online learning.

TOM REESE

Global Online Academy’s a go Pursuing educational excellence in the digital age by the communications staff

t

his fall Lakeside students will have the chance to take high-quality online classes with students from around the world, taught by teachers from leading independent schools, including Lakeside, through the newly formed Global Online Academy.

The non-profit academy was founded this spring, following a conference March 10-12 on the Lakeside campus. Head of School Bernie Noe invited 15 peer U.S. and international schools to discuss what great online teaching and learning might look like, why it’s important for today’s students and teachers, and how a partnership of peer schools could and should lead this effort. By the conference’s close, nine schools had signed up, in addition to Lakeside. More are expected to join in coming years, according to Noe. The academy will offer its first five classes to member-school students this fall, expanding to 10-15 by fall 2012; teachers will attend a summer institute in June in Seattle to prepare. A

28

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

national search is on for a director.

Noe said, “We’re moving quickly so we can have a hand in shaping best practices in online education consistent with our values of quality education. We need to be proactive in continuing to define educational excellence in the digital age.”

Online models of learning are beginning to transform the world of education. Conference participants heard how more than one million K-12 students are enrolled in online learning programs in the U.S., prompted in large measure by budget pressures. Independent School magazine predicts that by 2019, about 50 percent of all high-school courses will be online. A growing number of states are requiring high-school students to take online courses to graduate, while for-profit companies are scrambling to serve the nation’s high-school market (57 million students).

Keynote speaker Mark Milliron, deputy director of postsecondary education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,

set the tone for the conference with a send-up of the fast-paced change happening in the world of online learning, and a call-to-arms for the schools to serve as a “role model for doing high-level online education.”

He said, “This is not a conversation about technology, but about a new-generation learning structure,” adding, “Today’s ‘Net Generation’ students are already experiencing this, and we need to figure out what our online version is going to be.”

School leaders watched demonstrations by four Lakeside teachers who spent a month developing sample lessons and experimenting with new technology to structure and deliver information.

Working in committees, the leaders then examined a range of complex issues, such as: What kinds of courses should be taught? How can you build into an online format the kinds of student-teacher relationships that are hallmarks of the schools?

While not all issues were resolved, member schools trust that follow-up committees will be able to resolve them, and they agreed that the benefits of the venture dictate moving forward with an aggressive timeline.

Four of the biggest advantages they expect: • Students will benefit from learning with peers from other regions and cultures;

• Students can take courses they otherwise would not have access to, such as from teachers with personal or specialized knowledge; • Communities of teachers will collaborate on resources, tools, and teaching strategies, spurring innovation that will infuse the schools’ traditional classrooms as well; and • Participants will develop familiarity and adeptness with online learning, which is something today’s students will need in college and careers.

The school leaders made clear that, unlike in public education, saving money is not a motivation. Rather, they are motivated by the realization that online education is growing fast, and will certainly have a large role to play in the future. In fact, it was the forceful delivery of that message at the 2010 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference that set Lakeside into motion.

Upper School Director Than Healy was profoundly affected hearing speakers such as Michael Horn, coauthor of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, who said: “This thing’s coming. Get on board early and you’ll be able to take the reins. If you don’t do it, it’ll be done to you.”

After the Lakeside Board of Trustees gave the go-ahead, a core group of Lakeside administra- ➢

Global Online Academy:

at a glance

Mission Statement: The mission of the Global Online Academy is to translate into online classrooms the intellectually rigorous programs and excellent teaching that are hallmarks of its member schools; to foster new and effective ways, through best practices in online education, for all students to learn; and to promote students’ global awareness and understanding by creating truly diverse, worldwide, online schoolroom communities.

Members: Albuquerque Academy, Catlin Gabel School (Portland), Cranbrook Schools (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), The Dalton School (New York City), Germantown Friends School (Philadelphia), HeadRoyce School (Oakland, Calif.), King’s Academy (Jordan), Lakeside School, Punahou School (Honolulu), and Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.).

Courses: The goal is five offered this fall; 10-15 courses by 2012.

Who can take courses: Member-school students; in future, wider access is envisioned.

Website: www.globalonlineacademy.org Reinventing Teaching

29

FACE TIME

T

by ROBYNN POLANSKY

Everyone loves parks: Who’s gonna pay?

hatcher Bailey ’72 is no stranger to the world of nonprofits—he has founded, led, and fundraised for a number of prominent Northwest organizations over the years, most notably in the arts, as well as the namesake Bailey-Boushay House which provides residential care and chronic care management for people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses.

But in his newest role as executive director of Seattle Parks Foundation, he is facing a very different, and daunting, challenge.

“I spent a lot of my time convincing folks that arts matter,” he says of previous posts as publisher of the nonprofit Copper Canyon Press, founder and publisher of Bay Press, founding president of Artist Trust, and executive director of Centrum, a nonprofit center for the arts located at Fort Worden State Park.

In contrast, “No one needs convincing how profoundly parks, trails and green spaces enrich our lives,” he notes. “We share a deep connection to these places.” His task, instead, is finding a way to pay for them, so we have “a great park system for generations to come.”

➢ ONLINE ACADEMY’S

The business model The business model calls for member schools to pay a membership fee of $30,000 as well as a fee per student, and is designed to allow for future growth with the possibility of different levels of participation and investment.

The academy’s Board of Trustees, made up of representatives of member schools, will make any decision about expansion and membership. The academy will be housed at Lakeside School for at least the first few years.

Who’s teaching what Teachers—all member-school faculty recommended by their administration—will submit course proposals, and the academy LAKESIDE

W

e asked Thatcher Bailey ’72 for a favorite “hidden gem” park.

His tip: “Streissguth Gardens. Drive to East Blaine and 10th Avenue East, walk down the stairs. You will always feel good there.”

The Seattle parks system is facing the most severe economic challenges in its history. While Seattle voters repeatedly support parks, the system is now widely being criticized by city leaders and activists as unsustainable. Bailey points out that only one of the approved tax measures since 1991 included dollars for operations and maintenance, and that funding expired in 2008.

This has led to a major maintenance backlog of at least $200 million, according to estimates cited by Bailey in his op-ed in The Seattle Times last fall, and again in a Times feature this March (“Parks in a Pickle; Seattle faces the choice to shrink, skimp or pay up”).

It is time, says Bailey, to get creative. He’s working with seven other nonprofits to help the city develop long-term funding solutions.

Seattle Parks Foundation (www.seattle parksfoundation.org) already has a number of partnerships and projects in the works, including the upcoming Lake to Bay Loop, which will weave throughout the city, providing a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists from Lake Union to Elliott Bay. With Bailey at the helm, more creative projects are sure to follow. ■

See Board Chair Connie Ballmer’s Inside Lakeside letter on why the trustees gave the go-ahead for Global Online Academy, at www.lakesideschool.org/magazine.

strategies are being worked out. At Lakeside, school leaders will work with interested students to ensure they’re prepared to learn successfully in an online learning environment.

board will choose among them. The aim is to have the teachers develop their courses this summer with support from technology and curricular experts, and to be able to share with teachers on their own campuses what they’ve learned about best practices in online and “blended” (a combination of online and inclassroom) teaching.

This work will also serve as the foundation for an online teacher training course for the next cohort of academy educators.

Faculty will be compensated for course development and teaching online courses.

Classes will have a maximum enrollment of 18 students. Ideally there will be representation from as many schools as possible; enrollment

Serving a broader community Initially, the academy’s classes will be for students at member schools only. However, the founding schools have committed to actively exploring how they can serve a broader community, including public schools. In a few years, the academy hopes to contribute to narrowing the disparities in educational opportunity by making it possible for all motivated students to have access to its high-quality teachers and world-class courses online.

As Jim Best, associate head of school at The Dalton School says, “We are excited to partner with a group of schools that share a similar vision and understand that being an independent school in the 21st century demands public obligations.” ■

Thatcher Bailey ’72

a go

tors, led by Noe and Michael Nachbar, Middle School assistant director, did the groundwork, including selecting schools; consulting experts, notably the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the NAIS task force on online learning; and drafting a business model.

30

Inside word: a hidden gem

Spring/Summer 2011

FACE TIME

by ROBYNN POLANSKY

Creating the soundtrack

A

Ifé Thomas ’95

to her own life

sk singer-songwriter Ifé Thomas ’95 why she pursued a career in music and she will say “music is the soundtrack to our lives, and so I’m just making my humble contribution.” But don’t let her self-effacing answer fool you. This Los Angeles-based performer has plenty to brag about.

She’s being called “a young Sade meets Lena Horne for the new millennium,” but her musical style—a mix of soul, R&B, jazz, pop, hip hop, and more—defies easy categorization. She recently released her first EP, which she describes as “quality, classic music from the heart that will touch your soul,” and she has a full-length album coming out this summer.

So far, her music is in rotation on several radio stations across the country along with Sirius XM Radio, and her fans reach all the way to the United Kingdom and Korea. She is a regular on the Los Angeles club circuit and has graced some of the hottest stages in the country, including The Roxy in L.A., The Triple Door in Seattle, and SOB’s in New York. And in addition to running her company Crescendo Entertainment, Thomas has also released her first music video, contributed a track to the independent feature film ConSINsual, and is collaborating with DJs on dance remix versions of her EP tracks.

Looking ahead, Thomas plans to branch out into other creative arenas, such as film and fashion. “It starts with music,” she says, “but that’s really only the foundation.” For more on Thomas and to hear her music, visit her website at www.ifemusic.com. ■

She tips her glass to “voodoo vintners”

K

by ROBYNN POLANSKY

atherine Cole ’91 admits her book because, “There is a she is a bit of a skepton of interest about it within tic. So how did she end up the wine world but very little immersed in a world where awareness of it outside of farmers bury cow horns, diswine. And it’s an incredibly cuss spiritual connections, compelling topic with its fair and consult cosmic rhythms? share of controversy.”

It must have been the wine.

Based on the theories of Cole (Katherine Raff Austrian philosopher Rudolf in her Lakeside days) is the Steiner, biodynamics is a author of Voodoo Vintners: method of “beyond organic” Oregon’s Astonishing Biodyfarming that treats the farms namic Winegrowers, just out as living organisms. This this month from Oregon holistic approach, which some State University Press. call a way of life, includes Katherine Cole ’91 She’s also wine columnist performing farming practices for The Oregonian and for MIX Magazine, according to sun, moon and planetary cycles. which covers the Portland wine and food scene. After a year’s research, Cole concluded that And, skeptic or not, it became hard for her to despite lack of proof that it makes better wines, ignore the growing trend of biodynamic agricul- biodynamics might just be on to something: ture in the wine industry. She decided to write “Any time someone takes a bit more time and

care in farming their land, that’s a good thing … I really admire that it strives to make the farm a self-contained system, with no inputs (such as chemical fertilizers) and no outputs (such as waste). There is a beauty to this efficiency, and it makes you realize how wasteful we are in our everyday lives.”

What’s next for Cole? Aside from her regular writings, she’s working on an Oregon wine app to provide users a complete picture of the Oregon wine scene. Look for it this summer.

For more on Cole, check out her website, www.katherinecole.com. ■ Robynn Polansky is communications project manager at Lakeside School. Reach her at 206-440-2850 or robynnpolansky@lakesideschool.org.

Cool people

31

SPORTS ROUNDUP

T

by TREVOR KLEIN ’03 and Chris Hein

Lions dominant on courts & courses, and especially in the pool

his year’s swimming and diving team boasted a near-perfect season and a high finish at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) state championships. The boys and girls golf teams placed well in the Metro championships, and the football team was named state academic champions for the 7th-straight year. Both varsity basketball teams placed in the top three in the Metro Mountain Division, sending them to the district playoffs, and Aika Mitchell ’12 finished first in the WIAA regional wrestling tournament.

Here’s the rundown of this year’s fall and winter seasons:

FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS CROSS COUNTRY Metro League Honors

Girls First Team: Clarkie H. ’11, Sammy M. ’13 Girls Second Team: Whitney B. ’11, Lucia C. ’11, Claire S. ’11, Morgan R. ’12 Boys First Team: Brian M. ’12 Boys Honorable Mention: Paul P. ’12 Metro Girls Coach of the Year: Sally Revere

Lakeside swimmers cheer on their teammates during a January meet against O’Dea High School and Holy Names Academy.

32

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

2010 WIAA 3A State Academic Champions (Team GPA: 3.516; 7th-straight year)

team finish)

Sean E.’12 swims in a butterfly event during the January 28 meet.

PAT FOX

WIAA State Finals

Clarkie H. ’11 (Girls): 20:06 (49th place) Sammy M. ’13 (Girls): 20:12 (52nd place) Brian M. ’12 (Boys): 16:22.8 (27th place) Paul P. ’12 (Boys): 17:05.7 (70th place)

FOOTBALL | Overall Record: 2-8

BOYS GOLF | Overall Record: 6-2-1 Metro Championships (4th place

Girls Metro Team Champions

Girls Sea-King District 2 (3rd place team finish) Boys Sea-King District 2 (7th place team finish)

PAT FOX

Six qualifiers to Sea-King District 2 Tournament: Mitch W. ’11, Guy T. ’11, Henry C. ’12, Clayton B. ’12, Thomas E. ’11, Thomas T. ’14 Sea-King District 2 Tournament: Guy T. ’11 (state-qualifier, 5th place)

GIRLS GOLF | Overall Record: 6-3 Metro Championships (3rd place

PAT FOX

Zach W. ’12 competes in the meet against O’Dea and Holy Names.

team finish) Sea-King District 2 Qualifiers: Mary Z. ’12, Libby R. ’13, Madeline D. ’12, Alana A. ’14 (alternate)

Kyle M. ’11 shoots over a Chief Sealth defender during a Metro League playoff game on February 10.

Clayton Christy

GIRLS SOCCER | Overall Record: 5-2-7 Metro League Honors First Team: Nikki K. ’11, Natalie S. ’12, Laynee L. ’13, Darby M. ’14 Second Team: Betsy W. ’11, Helena V. ’11, Isabel S. ’12, Emily K. ’12, Rebecca L. ’13, Jo C. ’13 Honorable Mention: Helen K. ’11, Natalie F. ’13, Raina R. ’13

VOLLEYBALL | Overall Record: 9-14 Metro League Honors First Team: Emily C. ’11 Second Team: Madeline R. ’11, Nina B. ’13

WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

SWIMMING & DIVING |

BOYS BASKETBALL |

2nd place finish (Combined)

Overall Record: 12-11

Metro League Honors

First Team: Kyle M. ’11 Honorable Mention: Tyler G. ’11, Lewis C.’12 3rd place finish in Metro Mountain Division Sea-King District 2 Playoff Appearance

GIRLS BASKETBALL | Overall Record: 17-12

Metro League Honors

First Team: Whitney B. ’11 Honorable Mention: Sydney G. ’11, Jade B. ’11, Danielle E. ’12, Zoe W. ’13, Christina C. ’14 2nd place finish in Metro Mountain Division Sea-King District 2 playoff appearance WIAA 3A Hardwood Classic appearance

Overall Record: 6-0-1

Metro Championships

Sea-King District 2 Diving

1st place finish (Andrew B. ’12)

WIAA State Championships: 2nd place finish (Boys)

WRESTLING | Overall Record: 3-8 WIAA Regional Tournament: Aika M. ’12 (1st place), John C. ’13 (3rd place) ■

Trevor Klein is communications assistant at Lakeside School. Reach him at 206-440-2955 or trevor.klein@lakesideschool.org.

Statistics compiled by Chris Hein, athletics intern at Lakeside School. He can be reached at 206-440-2750 or chris.hein@lakesideschool.org.

Sports

33

SEATTLE ALUMNI RECEPTION 2011

Tarij Belgacem ’97 and Dwight Jonsson ’97.

I

by KELLY POORT

Former faculty member Ken Van Phil Manheim ’00 and Latasia Dyke and Peter Steinbrueck ’75. Lanier ’90, LEEP director and Middle School faculty member.

Looking back and ahead

n March, more than 180 alumni, current and former faculty members, and friends gathered at 415 Westlake for the annual Seattle Area Alumni Reception. Those in attendance enjoyed an evening of sharing memories, connecting with friends old and new, and renewing ties with Lakeside. Head of School Bernie Noe announced Lakeside’s leadership in founding a new Global Online Academy (see page 28 for more on that), provided an update on Global Service Learning, and reminded alumni to “look out for and help one another.” Alumni Board President Megan Coughlin ’87 encouraged everyone to find ways to get involved with the alumni association and previewed the many upcoming alumni events. ■

Kelly Poort is assistant director of development, alumni relations. She can be reached at 206-440-2730 or kelly.poort@lakesideschool.org.

From left, Olga Ugarova ’02, Head of School Bernie Noe, Kaci Callahan ’02, and Global Programs assistant Katie Furia ’05.

34

LAKESIDE

Members of the Class of 1991 from left, Alumni Board member Fred Northup, Lakeside trustee Peter Polson, and Jordan Williams.

Spring/Summer 2011

Members of the Class of ’98 from left, Brandon Rembe, Alumni Board member Steffenie Birkeland Evans, and Bridget Morgan.

From left, Matt Griff in ’69, T.J. Vassar ’68, and Lauren Young ’85.

From left, Mark Mader ’88, Chris White ’83, and Eric Ayrault ’83.

From left to right, members of the Alumni Board John Patton ’88, Megan Coughlin ’87, and Tim Panos ’85, with Henry Albrecht ’87.

From left, Collin Jergens ’01, Edward Wenger ’99, James Stanton ’03, and Jordan Edwards ’01.

From left, Colin Johnson ’04, Chris Harris ’99, Briana Abrahms ’04, and Shannon Donegan ’04.

From left, Chapin Henry ’87, Sandy Dickinson, Wright Dickinson ’88, Kari Minas, and Matt Minas ’88.

From left, Bruce Bailey ’59, executive secretary to the Alumni Association; Barry Erickson ’82; John Kucher ’73, Alumni Board member; and David Clarke ’83.

Alumni news

35

tom reese

Michael Chiu ’82, a Bellevue Police detective, teaches students about f ingerprinting and analyzing evidence. He was one of 10 alums who shared their “real life” skills on Student Sponsored Day. (That “blood” is syrup and red dye that Chiu mixed in his kitchen, but it sure looked real!)

S

Lessons in Real Life

ome students learned how to lift a fingerprint and analyze blood spatter. Others found out where in the house the breaker box is located and how to change a light fixture. At Student Sponsored Day in April, students took time off from regular classes to spend the day learning how to do many useful and practical things. Ten Lakeside alumni were among the teachers offering mini-sessions on everything from car maintenance to cooking tips to applying for jobs.

The day’s “Do It Yourself ” theme was proposed and organized by a student committee led by Benjamin D. ’13; Jenny M. ’11; Sophia V. ’12; Betsy W. ’11; Jade B. ’11; Houston W. ’13; and Carter A. ’11.

Alumni guest teachers were: Bill Holt ’79 (Home Maintenance); Christian Fulghum ’77 (Entrepreneurship); Megan Coughlin ’87 (Reading Comprehension); Bridget Morgan ’98 (Banking 101); Adam Hartzell ’91 (Finance 101); Michael Chiu ’82 (Basic Detective Work); Fred Northup ’91 (Public Speaking); Doug Porter ’80 (Auto Maintenance); Stewart Tilger ’70 (Photo 101); 36

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

by CAROL BORGMANN

and Lisa Marshall Manheim ’98 (Online SelfDefense). All said they enjoyed having the chance to interact and share some of their talents and expertise with students. ■

ALUMNI

NEWS

Matt Griffin ’69 receives 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award

M

att Griffin ’69 is the 44th recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, which honors Lakeside and St. Nicholas alumni who make outstanding contributions to their professions or communities. This citation, written by Bronwyn Echols and Christian Fulghum ’77, was presented to Matt at assembly on February 16.

Matt Griffin once said, “Life is about making good choices. It is not about what you are given.” Certainly the many people, organizations, and communities that Matt has worked with and supported over the years have been significant beneficiaries of this philosophy.

Matt’s remarkable passion and caring, combined with his no-nonsense, “get things done” approach, have contributed so much to all of us. As T.J. Vassar ’68 states, “It would not be a stretch to say that there is no single person around today who has contributed as much to the city of Seattle as Matt Griffin.”

As student body president, Matt was a natural leader at Lakeside. Graduating in 1969, he moved on to Princeton University, from which he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in civil engineering.

He completed his formal education by earning a MBA and master’s in construction management at Stanford University. Lakeside Lions and Princeton Tigers continue to be significant themes in Matt’s life today. One of Lakeside athletics’ biggest fans, he’s a regular presence in the stands or on the sidelines, and he maintains a devoted interest in the welfare and progress of Lakeside’s students individually and collectively, especially, of course, if they are Princeton-bound.

Matt’s 30-year professional career has reshaped many facets of Seattle’s cityscape. Associated with several local development firms, such as Wright Runstad & Company and his own firm, Pine Street Group, Matt had significant influence on, if not direct responsibility for, the Washington Mutual Tower and Wells Fargo Center, Nordstrom’s redevelopment of the former Frederick & Nelson department store, the Pacific Place retail center, the old Nordstrom store renovation, and the Seaboard Building. After successfully launching the renovated University Village, Matt led the effort that

Photo Courtesy of Matt Griffin

created the contiguous Washington Mutual Center office tower, now owned by Northwestern Mutual, and the Seattle Art Museum’s major expansion.

Beyond buildings, Matt’s passion for strengthening communities and his commitment to helping kids have had profound and lasting impact on scores of young people, many of whom might not be where they are today without his quiet but steadfast and generous support. He has worked on behalf of the YMCA of Greater Seattle for more than 25 years and chaired its last capital campaign; in recognition of his inspiring contributions, the “Y” recently honored Matt by naming its new Sea-Tac facility the “Matt Griffin YMCA.” Lakeside School has been blessed to be one of his priorities; this school would not be what it is today without Matt. He showed great vision and leadership in his roles as Alumni Association president from 1981 to 1982, as a member of Lakeside’s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2007, and as Board president from 2003 to 2005. Most significantly, Matt chaired two Lakeside capital campaigns—Lakeside Now and Living Our Mission: The Lakeside Campaign, and when Matt takes the helm, he delivers. He was the driving force in those campaigns’ success, raising $185 million for Lakeside’s endowment, facilities, and academic programs. Making a personal financial commitment to Lakeside, Matt and his wife, Evelyne Rozner, have established the ➢

Alumni news

37

NEW YORK REUNION 2011

by KELLY POORT

The social network

L

akesiders gathered in New York in April to network, share stories, and catch up. Kathryn Patton Beal ’90 and her husband, Bruce, hosted an intimate gathering of alumni in their home, where Head of School Bernie Noe shared some of the exciting new campus initiatives. The following evening, Tim Panos ’85 and Alex Panos ’88 hosted alumni from the Classes of ’59 through ’10 at the Core Club. To view more photos from the evening, visit www.lakesideschool.org/alumni.

From left, Jessica Nepom ’04, Chris Heim ’03, Alison Myers Berkley ’02, and Ann Browning ’01.

PLAN A REUNION

Patrick Leahy ’09 and Sewa Adekoya ’10.

Mahri Leonard-Fleckman ’98 and Peter Cho ’97.

From left, Josh Eaton ’88, Gen Rubin ’88, and John Emch ’89.

➢ DISTINGUISHED

alumni award

Griffin Family Endowed Scholarships fund that currently supports eight deserving students, one at each grade level. Matt’s interest in these Lakeside scholarship recipients does not stop with his financial support: he keeps up on their achievements, takes them to dinner when visiting their campuses, and proudly reports their accomplishments to Lakeside magazine. Recognizing his 38

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Are you interested in helping to plan a gathering of Lakeside alumni in your area?

Contact the alumni relations office at alumni@ lakesideschool. org.

Leigh Myer ’05, Bernie Noe, and Brian Griffey ’97.

immense contributions to the school, Lakeside’s Board of Trustees presented Matt with the Willard J. Wright ’32 Distinguished Service Award in 1998.

Through his professional and philanthropic achievements, Matt represents Lakeside’s core value of community at its very best. Modeling commitment to excellence in all aspects of life and giving of himself

generously to the organizations and institutions that grace this city, Matt calls us all to be more and to do more ourselves. For his inexhaustible service to both the Seattle and Lakeside communities, the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Association is privileged to honor Matthew J. Griffin, Lakeside School Class of 1969, with the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award. ■

ALUMNI OF COLOR RECEPTION 2011

T

Evening of camaraderie

he Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Association and Lakeside Diversity Committee were pleased to welcome 85 alumni, friends, teachers, and students to the 2011 Alumni of Color Reception in March. It was an evening of fun and camaraderie as Diversity Director T.J. Vassar and Head of School Bernie Noe shared what life is like for students at Lakeside today. Thanks to all alumni who were able to join us. To view more photos from the event go to www.lakesideschool.org/alumni.

Lanae Miller ’89 and Director of Diversity T.J. Vassar ’68.

Members of the Class of 1998, from left, Bridget Morgan and Darin Reynaud Knapp.

Ellis Simani ’13, faculty member Nancy Canino, Gabby Owens ’06, and Brandon Vaughan ’06.

Jamie Asaka ’96, Lakeside Family Support Program coordinator, with her father, Gary Asaka ’68.

Mary Pugh ’77 and Stan Evans ’73.

From left, Tom Wood ’95, Camila Altschul ’93, Masayo Arakawa ’96, and Emile Pitre ’96.

Alumni news

39

CLASS CONNECTIONS 1959

Bill Clapp and his wife Paula were honored in November by the Seattle YMCA with the A.K. Guy Award for their efforts in addressing the issue of global poverty. The Clapps are perhaps best known as pioneers in microfinance and founders of Global Partnerships, a nonprofit that supports solutions to break the cycle of poverty abroad. Since 1994, more than 845,000 borrowers in seven countries have received loans through Global Partnerships. Bill and Paula have also founded or cofounded a number of other organizations to advocate for international causes, including Initiative for Global Development, Seattle International Foundation, and Global Washington. Bill shared his expertise and involvements with Lakeside’s economics class this year.

1963

Pat Weinstein writes, “Since graduating from Lakeside and completing my education at Wesleyan, Harvard, and UC Berkeley, I have evolved from a city planner working primarily in the Bay Area into a businessman running the family Pepsi franchise in Wenatchee.

It has been a fascinating process moving from a political and academic environment into the nuts-and-bolts world of manufacturing and selling fizzy water. As a planner I felt that my ideas all too often ended up as a book on a shelf, but in the Pepsi world you succeed or fail when a consumer buys or doesn’t buy your product. Weinstein Beverage has been quite successful and won numerous national awards. The most recent was being named Bottler of the Year for North America this past year. I still find time to play masters basketball, having won a world championship and the U.S. national title in the past 18 months. For those really into the trivia of basketball, we have beaten teams with Jo Jo White, Flynn Robinson, Walt Wesley, Bob Ferry, and Jim Barnett playing against us. My wife, Susan

40

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Landon, is a painter who has had shows in New York and the Bay Area. She has spent the past three years designing the exterior and interior of our new facility in Wenatchee, due to the failure of our architects. We have raised four children. Matt, the eldest, is the director of the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and is the parent of our two grandchildren. Emily, next in line, is a community organizer for Bridge Housing at their Potrero Hill project in San Francisco. Eileen ’98 is now the digital marketing director and evangelist for JOBY, a start-up in San Francisco that makes an articulated tripod. Our youngest, Andy, is a graduate student in New York, having worked for Cadbury in Argentina.”

1964

Harry Ostrander was inducted recently into the Washington State Lacrosse Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Washington Athletic Club. Harry was recognized for his long-time support of the sport along with his coaching and his service on the State Board of

Pat Weinstein ’63’s Pepsi franchise in Wenatchee was named “Bottler of the Year.”

Directors for high school lacrosse.

Director of Lakeside’s Middle School program from 1988-2006, Harry also was involved in teaching lacrosse skills at clinics for all age groups in the Northwest, as well as providing equipment for these programs for some 20 years.

1968

Members of the Class of 1968 gathered at the home of Mick Deal in December to celebrate T.J. Vassar’s devotion and service to Lakeside School. Bill Sroufe writes, “The celebration was heartwarming for all who attended.”

1969

During a trip to the New York area in November, Matt Griffin and Evelyne Rozner caught up with a number of Lakeside alumni. Matt reports, “We had coffee with Ryan McCullough ’04

and his wife, Lauren, and with Sean Whitsitt ’10 watched Lauren Whatley ’07’s last Princeton soccer game. While prerecorded, Lauren sang the national anthem for the start of the soccer game. It’s always nice to see a wide range of talents. Although Princeton was on fall break, we were fortunate to have eight of the 13 Lakesiders at Princeton join us for dinner. Everyone seemed well.”

1973

Arne Lunde writes, “My first book, Nordic Exposures: Scandinavian Identities in Classical Hollywood Cinema, was published by University of Washington Press this past October. I’m in my fourth year as an assistant professor at UCLA, and my wife Sharen and I (and our dog Mickey) greatly enjoy living in Los Angeles.”

Members of the Class of 1968.

In November, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute awarded Hal Foster with the 2010 Clark Prize for Excellence in Arts Writing in New York City. Established in 2006, the Clark Prize recognizes individuals whose critical or art historical writing has had a significant impact on public understanding and appreciation of the visual arts.

1974

Dan Lamont was one of six recipients of the 2010 Seattle University Journalism Fellowships on Family Homelessness, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Lamont, who earned a Master of Communication in Digital Media at the UW, produces multimedia stories for editorial, corporate communications, and nonprofit clients.

He recently founded and is president of Tatoosh Media, a Seattle-based production company (www.tatooshmedia.com).

Matt Griff in ’69 and Evelyne Rozner caught up with Lakeside alumni currently at Princeton. Back row, from left, Evelyne, Connor Myhrvold ’07, Cameron Myhrvold ’07, Colleen McCullough ’07, Nick Donald ’07. Front row, from left, Maia Gainer ’09, Brian Reiser ’09, Zach Siegler ’10, Matt, and Sojung Yi ’08.

1978

Kathryn Williamson writes, “This summer I moved with my family to a beautiful old neighborhood in Trenton, N.J. designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. I continue to commute to New York City, where I work for a Japanese art consultant.”

1980

Andrea Gurvich Lieberman reports a “small-world Lakeside coincidence” on a recent family vacation to celebrate her birthday. She met Maegan Carney ’83 in Chamonix, France, in the parking lot after a day of skiing. Maegan, a former extreme skier, lived in Chamonix for five years before moving to Banff with her husband. They now have a three-year-old son, Lincoln. ➢

From left, Maegan Carney ’83 and Andrea Gurvich Lieberman ’80.

Alumni news

41

CLASS CONNECTIONS

WE WANT YOUR NOTES Visit www. lakesideschool.org/ alumni to learn how to submit a class note.

Parker James Rawson, son of James Rawson ’93 and his wife, Alisa.

1983

1986

Tom Kuhnle has been appointed judge in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, Calif. He served as associate, then partner, for Bingham McCutcheon as intellectual property litigator beginning in 1995. Tom earned a juris doctorate degree from Stanford Law School and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University. He lives in Palo Alto with his wife, Alison Cormack, and their children, Scott, 9, and Megan, 13. Tom is the son of Eilif Kuhnle ’54.

season reflected Patrick’s enthusiasm, as well as his knowledge of the game, earning Patrick the appreciation of all who care about Lakeside athletics. Due to his success, Patrick has had the “interim” label removed and has been appointed the full-time head coach. He is also serving in his first year on the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Board.

After many years of involvement with Lakeside basketball teams, Patrick Chinn stepped in this past winter as interim head coach of our girls varsity team and did an excellent job. The team made it to the final eight at State and throughout the

1987

See 1980 notes for news about Maegan Carney.

Beth Armstrong reports that her son Tim Armstrong ’86, is a now research fellow based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, having earned his PhD from Aberdeen University and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in sociolinguistics. He wrote and orally defended his dissertation in Gaelic.

Jans Iverson reports, “My family and I moved to Las Vegas last August as part of a transfer opportunity within my company. It’s been a pretty big adjustment coming from the wet, green

From left, Kaitlyn and Emily Kong, daughters of Cynthia Chinn Kong ’91 Daughters of Kyle Kombrink Roche ’95, clockwise from top left, and her husband Richard.

Madeline, Nora, Lucy, and Abigail.

42

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Lakeside alumni at the July 2010 wedding of Giff and Katie Leibold ’98 Foley, from left, Clint Stewart ’98, Gray Hosford ’98, Alexa Helsell ’98, Kelly Moss ’99, Katie Paul ’98, Katy Leibold Foley ’98, Giff Foley, Robert Helsell ’55, Linda Helsell ’58, Whitney Morris ’98, Matt Overman ’98, Amy Schuchart Stonehocker ’98 (with baby Emma), Chris Allison ’98, Meredith Snyder Helmick ’98 (with baby Charlotte), Kerry Blethen Quinn ’97, and Stren Lea ’98.

Pacific Northwest to the dry, orange Southwest desert, but it was great this past winter being able to do things outdoors in the sun, and we are finding out that there are actually quite a bit of other activities around greater Las Vegas to experience than just gambling. We plan to spend much of the summer in Seattle to escape the hottest months of the year here.”

1988

Dane Iverson and wife, Brandyn,

welcome their third son Damon Truett Thomas Iverson on December 12, 2010.

1991

Classmates Kendra Jones and Brian Kelly were married in August. Marlene Chen served as maid of honor and Eleni Carras was one of their two officiants.

Cynthia Chinn Kong, husband Richard, and big sister Emily were happy to welcome Kaitlyn Mei Ling Kong to the family on May 20, 2010.

1993

James Rawson and his wife, Alisa, were thrilled to welcome son Parker James Rawson into the world on December 6, 2009.

1995

Jacob Lawrence Morgan, son of Wendy Lawrence ’95 and Todd Morgan ’95.

Members of the Class of 1991 at the wedding of classmates Kendra Jones and Brian Kelly, from left, Charlie Meredith, Marlene Chen, Eleni Carras, Brian, Kendra, Steve Yin, and Courtney Chinn.

Wendy Lawrence, Todd Morgan, and big brother Oliver are very excited to announce the birth ➢

Alumni news

43

CLASS CONNECTIONS

BABY PICTURES Have you added a little lion to your pride? Send us an announcement and photo of your baby to alumni@lakesideschool.org and the alumni relations office will outfit your little one with a Lakeside tee.

Maximus Arthur Johnston Furia, son of Peter Furia ’00 and Vanessa Johnston. of Jacob Lawrence Morgan, born at 3:04 a.m. on March 3, 2011. He was 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches long. They are all doing great and enjoying getting to know the new member of their family!

Kyle Kombrink Roche is pleased to announce the addition of their littlest lions. Lucy Meyer and Abigail Mary were born on April 7, 2010. Proud big sisters Nora, 6, and Madeline, 4, round out their brood of cherished girls.

1998

Her father, Pat Weinstein ’63, reports

that Eileen Weinstein is now the digital marketing director and evangelist for JOBY, a start-up in San Francisco that makes an articulated tripod.

In July 2010 Katie Leibold married Giff Foley on a ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Lakeside alumni from the Classes of 1951-1999 were in attendance.

1999

Zuhairah and Marc Washington were married this past July in a private beachfront ceremony at Moon

From left, David Crockett ’99, Aaron Iba, Akim Humphries, Rupert Singh, Marc Washington ’99, Zuhairah Washington, David Mandley ’99, Joel Saulter ’99, and Shane Parris ’99.

44

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Dance Villas in Negril, Jamaica. Close family and friends from around the globe were in attendance. After the wedding, the wedding party moved to the cliffs for dinner, dancing, and a pool party. Zuhairah is a JD/MBA from Harvard who is currently a tech entrepreneur and owner of her own media company. Marc is an MBA from London Business School who previously worked in private equity at The Carlyle Group and will be returning to private Dale Sherrow ’99 is currently equity investment studying at the post-graduation.

Copenhagen

Business School.

Dale Sherrow is currently at the Copenhagen Business School where he is studying to receive his master’s.

There are 42 students in Dale’s class,

Lakeside guests at the wedding of Whitney Moller Howe ’01 and Jared Howe (both far right) include, back row from left, Alison Myers Berkley ’02, Steve Johnson ’01, Mia King ’05, Annemieke Beemster-Leverenz ’01 (bridesmaid), Laura Cunningham ’00. Front row, from left, Margaret Trzyna Marks ’01 and Ashley Sherwood-Park ’93.

Juniper Olivia Stewart, daughter of Ciara Brady Stewart ’00 and Ryan Stewart. representing 22 different nationalities.

2000

Tracy Yuen successfully defended her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Cambridge in May 2010. In July, she and Noah Hugenberger were married in Seattle, celebrating with many friends from Lakeside. They are now living in San Francisco and Tracy is working as a postdoc at University of California, San Francisco.

Juniper Olivia Stewart was born

Aífe Maye Sullivan, daughter of Caitlin McNamara Sullivan ’00.

March 27, 2010 at 9:41 a.m. to proud parents Ciara Brady Stewart and Ryan Stewart. She weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce and was 18.5 inches long.

Peter Furia and Vanessa Johnston welcomed into the world Maximus Arthur Johnston Furia at 8:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, 2010. Max weighed 7 pounds with long runner’s legs and eyes wide open right out of the womb.

Matthew Klobucher reports that, after a

February 2010 wedding and a March deployment to Japan, he is finally moving in with his bride Kate in Stafford, Va., where he will be instructing new Marine Corps officers in infantry skills and leadership.

Caitlin McNamara Sullivan is pleased to announce the birth of daughter Aífe Maye Sullivan on June 24, 2010. Caitlin recently started a new business called Alere Modern which specializes in high-end handmade products, shipped directly from the artist. After nearly six years of running her craft business (www.moxieandoliver.com) she thought it was time to try her hand at helping other artists make a living making art.

2001

Whitney Moller married Jared Howe in Port Gamble, Wash. in September.

2003

At the wedding of Tracy Yuen ’00 and Noah Hugenberger, from left, Ciara Brady Stewart ’00, Steve Johnson ’01, Alex Raines ’00, Krista Kawaguchi ’01, Anna Batie ’00, Whitney Moller Howe ’01, Laura Cunningham ’00, Tracy Yuen ’00, Noah Hugenberger, Scott Graham ’00, Jeremy Lazowska ’00, Edward Baskerville ’00, Brian Lehmann ’00, John Bocharov ’00, Jessica Ebberson ’00, and Jessica Martin ’00.

Anne and Wayne Wager, parents of Emery Wager and Abby Wager ’07, ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., on October 31, 2010, in honor of Emery, a Marine Infantry Officer deployed in Afghanistan. Emery attended Stanford University, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2007. Then, after competing in the U.S. Olympic sailing trials and later working for a start-up in the Bay Area, Emery ➢ Alumni news

45

CLASS CONNECTIONS

Pictured after the Marine Corps Marathon in October 2010, from left, Eli Bench ’07, Zach Bench ’03, Andy Bench ’04, Connor Bench ’06, Abby Wager ’07, Teryn Allen ’04, Devon Sawin ’05, Tucker Sawin ’03, and Veronica Ivey.

entered Officer Candidate School in 2008. In September 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan as a Marine Infantry Officer leading 80 men. Using a satellite phone, Emery called from Afghanistan the evening before the race to wish his family good luck. Abby ’07 and family friend Tucker Sawin ran the race as well, and Anne invited Mary Jo Bench, mother of Marine Andy Bench ’04, to also join the group. By coincidence, Andy was home on leave from Afghanistan during the marathon and joined his mother in the race. It was a memorable weekend in Washington, D.C., with strong support along the route from former Lakeside students Sandy Hull ’05, Eli Bench ’07, Zach Bench, Connor Bench ’06, Teryn Allen ’04, and Devon Sawin ’05.

Chrix Finne and Moses Namkung hosted an informal gathering of young alumni in the Bay Area last fall. More than 15 alumni from the Classes of ’00, ’01, ’03, ’05, and ’06 were in attendance.

Erica Bliss is working for TechnoServe on a four-year project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Coca-Cola to double the incomes of 17,000 small holder farmers in Uganda through mango and passion fruit sales.

46

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

She currently manages the project in Uganda and loves her work.

Lauren Sanchez ’07 and Andrew Locke ’07, both captains of their Middlebury basketball teams.

2004

Doug Rooke, a member of the inaugural Lakeside organic chemistry class who is currently pursuing a PhD in organic chemistry at Colorado State University, had an article published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society this summer. Lakeside faculty member Hans de Grys notes, “If you’re not familiar with it, this is the premier scholarly journal in the field of chemistry. To get an article published in JACS is a prestigious accomplishment, and especially so if you are a grad student. Check it out! Particularly if you have an interest in the stereoselective syntheses of trisubstituted olefins using platinum catalysis or silylenones with geometrical complementarity.”

Owen Bennion ’05 is on his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

2005

Jane Barry reports that her daughter Charlotte Austin was recently certified as a wilderness emergency medical technician (EMT).

Hayley Young is the coeditor of a new PBS TV show entitled You Call That Art?! The show attempts to demystify public art for the general audience.

The first pilot episode was broadcast

From left, Margo Cramer ’08 and Simone Childs-Walker ’07 at the Division III Cross Country Nationals.

FORMER FACULTY AND STAFF

Natalie Afonina ’09, front row, second from the right, with fellow explorers from the Mike Horn Young Explorers Program.

on November 22, with KCTS Channel 9 Seattle as the host station. She hopes that it will become a national series encompassing 19 U.S. cities. Hayley encourages fellow alumni to visit www. youcallthatart.net for more information.

Masayo Bennion reports that, after graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Owen Bennion is busy knocking on doors and approaching strangers at train stations and on the streets. Since fall of 2009, Elder Owen Bennion has been in Kobe, Japan, serving a two-year full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loves being mistaken as a native Japanese speaker and reports he and his bike have been hit by cars only a couple of times. He looks forward to catching up with friends when he returns to the U.S. in September 2011.

2007

Andrew Locke, a stalwart 6’10” senior center for the Middlebury College basketball team, holds the college’s records for blocked shots in a game (13), in a season (114, last year), and in his career.

The Lester R. Godwin Award was awarded to Dartmouth College senior linebacker Luke Hussey as the senior

football squad member who, through extraordinary perseverance, has risen above personal disadvantage to contribute measurably to the team.

Hussey suffered through various injuries throughout his career, including two hip surgeries, yet managed to overcome the aches and pains to record 48 tackles, two for a loss with one being a sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery in his senior campaign.

2008

Margo Cramer, Middlebury College, and Simone Childs-Walker ’07, Carleton College, both competed at the Division III indoor NCAA championship in March.

Margo was on the winning distance medley relay team and Simone finished 3rd overall in the women’s 5K. Both earned all-American honors. Lakeside cross country coach Sally Revere ’79 made it out to watch.

In December, Frank Cunningham was honored at the USRowing Association annual convention in Tampa, Fla. with the USRowing Medal of Honor. The award is given to a member of the rowing community in the U.S. who has rendered conspicuous service to, or accomplished extraordinary feats in, rowing. It is the highest honor USRowing can bestow.

Cunningham was an English teacher and rowing coach at Lakeside from 19651980.

In March, Eleanor Owen was featured in the Pacific Northwest magazine of The Seattle Times for her tireless efforts on behalf of people with mental illness. Owen taught at various times social studies, English, drama and anthropology at Lakeside from 1971-1978. ■

2009

Natalie Afonina completed a 10-day selection training camp for the North Pole Expedition in Switzerland with the Mike Horn Young Explorers Program (YEP).

A sponsored program with the message to “explore, learn, and act,” YEP is part of the Pangaea Project, a four-year program aimed at cultivating activism and education. ■

From left, Lakeside rowing coach Steve Hertzfeld, USRowing Medal of Honor recipient Frank Cunningham, Lakeside rowing coach Conor Bullis, Bill Tytus ’65, and Lakeside rowing coach Marty Beyer.

Alumni news

47

PLANNED GIVING

To find out more about how to

by CAROL BORGMANN

designate Lakeside School as a beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, or in your will, contact Carol Borgmann, director of major and planned giving, at 206-440-2931 or visit www.lakesideschool.org/plannedgiving

CLAYTON CHRISTY TOM REESE

“H

He cares for campus grounds—and, camera in tow, for student-athletes

ey Clayton, I have a game coming up, are you going to be there?”

This is a question that Clayton Christy often gets from Lakeside student-athletes.

Christy says, “When I get asked, 99 percent of the time I’m able to be there.”

Christy is a long-time member of Lakeside School’s maintenance team. He came to Lakeside in 1995, originally to join the food-service team. The Honolulu native had an extensive background in food: He attended the Benihana Cooking School in Dallas, Texas and worked for a Benihana restaurant in New York City for eight 48

LAKESIDE

Fall/Wnter 2010

See one of Clayton Christy’s Lakeside sports photos on page 33.

and a half years. Then, after moving to Seattle for the slower, more relaxed pace, he worked in food service at the Marriott Seattle Airport Hotel and then at the Bear Creek Country Club, primarily planning and cooking for banquets and weddings.

When the pressure of leading such an intense operation started to wear him down, he decided to step down from the top position.

As it happened, at that time Jamie Callison,

then-director of Lakeside’s food-services team, needed some help with a dinner event, and Christy pitched in. That led to Callison hiring him permanently.

Three years later, a position opened on the maintenance team. “I was excited about the opportunity,” Christy says, “because I would receive year-round, steady paychecks—food service was not a year-round job—and I would be learning new skills.”

His favorite part of his job is maintaining Lakeside’s beautiful grounds. “I love being outside, especially on a nice day, pruning, weeding, and shaping the plants,” he says. “Each year I can’t wait to see how things grow back.”

Christy got to know many students while working in food service, and that prompted his tireless support of the Lakeside athletics program. He says, “I played tennis as a student and I never had friends or family who would come watch me play.

This made me feel bad. So when a student asks if I’ll come to their game, I make a point to go.”

While attending both boys’ and girls’ games—you’ll see him at wrestling, volleyball, and basketball—Christy started taking photographs, which he shares with parents and makes available for the school’s website and print publications. It is not unusual for Christy to take 400 pictures or more in an evening. A typical week of his game attendance: Tuesday night basketball; Wednesday night basketball; Thursday night wrestling; Friday night basketball; tournament games on Saturday; and sleep on Sunday because he’s so tired.

“Once in a while you get this awesome picture that captures the moment. Just recently I got the perfect shot of a student and I shared it with her dad,” he says. “I could tell the photo was very meaningful to him.”

Recently Christy decided to name Lakeside School as the 100 percent beneficiary of his retirement account; he is directing his contribution to the athletics program. “Lakeside has made me a better person. Working here has taught me about life, about helping other people, and about helping the community. I get so much energy from the students. I feel good about leaving my money to the school because I know it will be used well. As I watch the students in sports, even if they aren’t winning, I see their love of playing. I feel good about helping to support this program now and in the future.” ■

P.ERSONAL S.TORY

by CHRIS

BARNEY ’92

“What exactly could our small team do in the face of such devastation?”

Chris Barney ’92 found his answer in Haiti

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan March 11, and the earthquake that shook New Zealand February 22, are the latest reminders of the fury nature can unleash, and the huge task of recovery that relief workers face. Here Chris Barney ’92 reflects on his experience as a volunteer last year after Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake.

TELLING YOUR STORIES P.S., or Personal Story, features a personal essay written by a Lakeside alum. If you’re interested in contributing a piece of about 500 words, please write us: magazine@lakesideschool.org.

W

hen natural disasters strike, the ensuing flood of global media coverage can overwhelm our own sense of stability in the world.

In January 2010, after the earthquake struck Haiti, a group of fellow firefighters and I with Portland Fire & Rescue began organizing our own response to assist in the international medical relief effort. Two groups of firefighters with medical training linked up with Haitian relief organizations; I arrived in Haiti with the second group in April, 2010.

As firefighters, we are trained to adapt to a challenge and overcome it. But a question lingered: What exactly could our small team do in the face of such devastation?

Once in Haiti, we saw the true depth and scope of the disaster, no longer just images on a screen: Entire blocks without an inhabitable building; buildings gutted by fire; massive tent cities erected in every possible free space, including the 3-foot wide center median of multi-lane roadways. And in every direction, people seeking food, water, and medical attention.

We quickly learned that the greatest challenge facing relief workers were problems of logistics and infrastructure. The day before we arrived, the Haitian-run hospital that had been providing some of the best care since the earthquake closed for lack of funds. That left only the main hospital of Port-au-Prince, operating in the streets next to its decimated buildings at a fraction of previous capacity; a smaller communitycare hospital; and a mobile facility set up by the University of Miami. Together they were able to offer just about all essential medical care, but there was no means of transporting patients from one facility to another if their needs dictated. Internal conflicts between Haitian medical staff and

Firef ighter Chris Barney ’92 joined volunteer relief efforts after Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake.

international medical-relief workers compounded an already difficult situation and challenged everyone’s good intentions of providing the best care to all in need.

For several days, our team operated within these settings, among doctors and nurses from around the world, triaging patients and providing care for everything from wounds and trauma to infections and tuberculosis.

We worked also in neighborhoods and tent cities that local coordinators identified as needing help. We’d set up for the day in the shade of a damaged building. Lines of people would be waiting patiently, often in significant discomfort, to see a medical worker. We’d begin our day talking with patients through interpreters, who were often struggling in their own right but working to help their fellow citizens.

We’d try to diagnose and develop a treatment protocol based on our experience and training, aided by the paramedics in our group and, when they were available, by doctors or nurses.

It was in these communities that I found the answer to my original question. Our team was obviously not going to solve all the challenges facing the Haitian people. Nor would any international relief team. During the moments I spoke

with each patient, neither of us was thinking about the decades of hardship their country faces as they rebuild. But for each patient, this was a rare chance to have some personal attention paid to their medical need. Their medical care was the most pressing and important need at that moment, and someone was taking the time to address them.

Our 24/7 media culture gives us information on every aspect, scale, and perspective of each issue of the day. This allows us to be more informed, but also leads to a feeling of disconnect and often “paralysis by analysis”: an inability to fathom where or how to start tackling a problem.

The real solutions start at the ground and work up, not the other way around.

What I learned in Haiti is that attempting to help one person solve an immediate problem can make a small but significant difference. Tomorrow and the next day will always bring more challenges. But today’s effort to help address a need can empower people to begin their own efforts towards making a better tomorrow, thus pushing past the overwhelming task of rescue and moving toward the beneficial work of recovery. ■

MORE ABOUT CHRIS BARNEY ’92 Af ter graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Environmental Design, Chris Barney shifted career paths into public service and a career in firefighting. In 2003, he joined Portland Fire & Rescue and is now a lieutenant in the training division. He’s had specialty training in land-based marine and highrise firefighting, and weapons of mass destruction and mass casualty response. Later this year, he will travel to Ghana with a firefighting non-governmental organization (NGO) to teach basic skills to emergency responders.

Planned Giving, Personal Story

49

IN MEMORIAM

ST. NICHOLAS ALUMNAE Nancy Haskell Black ’49 • March 1, 2011

The following remembrances were submitted by the families of St. Nicholas alumnae and Lakeside alumni. If you have a remembrance to share about one of the following individuals, or if you are a family member and have an obituary that you would like to have published in the next magazine, please call the alumni relations office at 206-368-3606 or e-mail alumni@ lakesideschool.org.

All remembrances are subject to minor editing for length. Your thoughts and memories are much appreciated.

Jamieson Matthias ’46 January 19, 2011

Nancy Claire Haskell Black, the daughter of Oliver and Clarice Haskell, was born in Seattle on November 4, 1931, and grew up on Capitol Hill. The Haskell family spent the war years in Washington D.C., where Nancy’s father served in the Army at the Pentagon. Returning to Seattle in 1946, Nancy attended St. Nicholas School, graduating in 1949. She attended Wellesley College for two years and the University of Washington for another two. In 1952, Nancy married David Statler Black. Their children David, Andrew, and Kathleen were born during the five years they resided in Washington, first in Seattle and later in Olympia. The year 1961 saw a move to another capital: Washington D.C. Nancy had many opportunities there.

She was presented with a 10-year award for her work as a volunteer docent. She served as chair of docents at the National Gallery of Art in a program that provided tours for schoolchildren in the D.C. metropolitan area, and became a tour guide at Hillwood Museum, the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post. Nancy then cofounded National Fine Arts Associates, which developed and directed custom tours of galleries, private collections, and historic properties in the D.C. area. In 1966, the family relocated to Kansas, where Nancy became involved in historic preservation. She participated in the local arts scene and worked as a tour director planning convention programs and giving “Trolley Tours.” The greatest accomplishment of her Topeka years was her involvement in helping establish the annual Topeka Railroad Days Festival. The Blacks returned to Seattle’s Capitol Hill, where it all began, and pursued their passion for family, food and cooking, photography, art, flowers, and travel. Nancy’s greatest joy has been the opportunity to see her family grow and mature into a loving bunch. Nancy is survived by her husband of 58 years, her three children, and her four loving grandchildren Nicholas Black and Patrick, Connor, and Carly Campbell. Family and friends agree with Nancy that, “It’s been a wonderful life.”

Helen Dempsey Buck ’49 • August 13, 2010

Helen Dempsey Buck of Redmond, formerly of Medina, passed away August 13, 2010 at home. It was her 82nd birthday. Survivors include her daughter Patti and favorite son-in-law Sam Kyle of Gardiner, Wash.; sister Patricia Lamken of Kirkland; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister Jane Fanning in 1971 and son Parker Buck in 2003.

Elise Kelleher Cole ’45 • February 3, 2011

Elise Campbell Kelleher Cole, wife of Norman R. Cole and lifelong Seattle resident, passed away peacefully on February 3 after a long illness. Elise was born in Seattle on January 24, 1926, a third-generation Seattleite. She was the daughter of Campbell Kelleher and granddaughter of Daniel Kelleher, founder of what became Seattle First National Bank. Elise and brothers Richard and Daniel grew up on Capitol Hill and spent summers on Bainbridge

50

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

Island. She attended St. Nicholas, graduated from Garfield High School in 1943, and got her bachelor’s degree from the UW. Her first job was at The Seattle Times, where Elise wrote for the society section and was an art critic, with a weekly column, “With the Artists.” In 1952, she joined the local Eisenhower campaign and after victory, moved to Washington D.C. to work for the Republican National Committee (“When the Republicans were real Republicans!”). Returning to Seattle, she was a freelance writer and editor of the Social Blue Book of Seattle for 1958, and worked in the arts community, including a stint as the first director of the Northwest Craft Center following the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Elise and Norman married in 1964 and started a family, son Grant and daughter Jessica. They moved to Kingston, Wash. to live “in the great outdoors,” where she grew vegetables and would regularly go clamming and crabbing. Elise was so passionate about education that she became a two-term member of the North Kitsap School Board, tirelessly lobbying for better school funding. She enjoyed cooking large meals and sailing with Norman and friends.

Later moving back into Seattle, she became a member of the Seattle Garden Club and started her own floral arranging business. Over the years, she also belonged to the Sunset Club, the Junior League, the National Society of Colonial Dames of Washington, and the Alma Stewart Ballinger Orthopedic Guild for Children’s Hospital. Elise is survived and missed by her son Grant, daughter Jessica, granddaughters Nikki and Payten, and brother Richard.

Nita Peterson Foster ’46 • December 6, 2010

Nita Burt Foster, beloved mother and grandmother, was born Nita Burt Peterson on February 13, 1928, and passed away December 6, 2010, in Roseville, Calif. Nita was born in Seattle, where she grew up on Puget Sound, and attended the UW after graduating from St. Nicholas School. She met her husband, Douglas Foster, in college and began her married life in Palo Alto, Calif., where her husband graduated from law school at Stanford University.

Nita, a Pi Beta Phi, majored in children’s theater, and she never lost her love of music, theater, and ballet. She trained with the Winifred-Salmon School of Ballet and danced in a local Seattle ballet company prior to World War II; she volunteered later in a Sacramento Ballet fundraising group. Nita is survived by her two daughters Jane Foster Dickson and Stephanie Burt Foster, and she was deeply loved by her granddaughter, Lindsay J. Abram, and her three grandsons David J. Dickson, Tim D. Dickson, and Matt K. Abram, all of whom called her “Grandma Nita.” She will be greatly missed for her generosity and humor, wit, and great love for her family.

Catherine (“CAPPY”) Mauk Rooks ’49 • November 11, 2010

Cappy McNutt Rooks, born Janet Catherine Mauk, on August 5, 1931 in Seattle, to John and Betty Mauk, passed away with her family surrounding her and a rainbow in the sky on November 11, 2010. Cappy is survived by her four

children, Michael, Tico, Tom, and Susan, their spouses Georgina, Lesley, Erin, and Monte, her five grandchildren who gave so much meaning to her life, Chloe, Madison, Wilder, Finnegan, and Kate, her husband Hal, her sister Ann, and her brother John. Her indomitable and inspiring spirit was exemplified by her oft-heard “onward and upward” as she forged ahead bravely through many of the challenges she faced through life, including her successful fight with cancer in 1997. She dedicated her life to her family, friends, and community, volunteering in many different arenas, including organizing and running a Special Friends Program for children at Latona School, arranging flowers at St. Mark’s Cathedral, and bringing meals or spending time with the “elderly” and those in need. Cappy grew up in Seattle, attending McGilvra Elementary, St. Nicholas School, Smith College, and the UW. She graduated with a degree in early childhood education. She married Delos W. McNutt in 1954, and they lived a full and loving life together until his passing in 1988.

Del and Cappy raised their four children between their Capitol Hill home and their cabin on Brown Island. When her children went off to high school and college Cappy resumed work in the Seattle School District, interpreting for deaf students and teaching children with special needs. She celebrated her “retirement” but she never stopped working. In 1992 she married Harold Rooks, and together they shared their love of the San Juans, the symphony, and travel. Cappy was tenacious. She had a spirit of adventure, a love of gardening, travel, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and sharing as many of these things as she could with family and friends. She highly valued education, art, and music—she was ever in pursuit of learning new things. Cappy embodied the meaning of optimism, love of family, and appreciation for life. She got up every morning grateful for another day and for the blessings and beauty she found in even the smallest things around her. This is the legacy she leaves to her family and to all the people whose lives she touched.

LAKESIDE ALUMNI Raleigh Andrews ’43 • November 13, 2010

Raleigh Andrews, 85, passed away quietly on Saturday, November 13 at Northwest Hospital surrounded by family. Raleigh was born in Seattle in 1925 to Edward W. Andrews and Margaret Chinn Andrews and was the younger brother of Edward W. Andrews. Raleigh attended Lakeside School, The Taft School, and Stanford University.

He served in the Air Force during World War II. He married Carolan Hoefer in Chicago, and moved back to Seattle in 1968. He was a member of the University Club, Seattle Golf Club, and Seattle Tennis Club. He was an owner and the manager of the Northwest Industrial Buildings in Seattle for many years. Raleigh was an accomplished snow skier, golfer, and nationally ranked tennis player who was known for his sense of humor and competitiveness, and for piloting his Sea Ray across the Sound from his summer house on Bainbridge Island near Restoration Point. Raleigh is survived by sons Raleigh C. Andrews Jr. and John C. Andrews, his daughter Marcie Gwiazdon, and seven grandchildren. Raleigh was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Carolan H. Andrews, his father Edward W. Andrews, his mother Margaret C. Andrews, and his brother Edward W. Andrews Jr.

John (“JACK”) Penn Fix Jr. ’44 • February 4, 2011 Jack Penn Fix Jr. was born on August 31, 1926 in Spokane to John Penn Fix Sr. and Lois Dodson Fix. Jack grew up in Spokane but spent his high-school years in Seattle. At Lakeside he was student-body president and an outstanding three-sport athlete, graduating in 1944. He spent one semester at Stanford University before enlisting in the Army during World War II. After the war, he returned to Stanford, married Sally Barnett, and graduated in 1949 with degrees in business and history. They soon returned to Spokane for Jack to join Dodson’s Jewelers, the family business founded in 1887 by his grandfather George R. Dodson and managed by his father. Jack developed a great love of the jewelry industry and was instrumental

in its professionalization during 15 years on the Board of Governors of the Gemological Institute of America in the 1950s and 1960s. Jack used his business sense and merchandising and marketing skills to grow a multi-store operation with unprecedented sales growth year after year.

Although Jack stepped away from active management of the business in 2000 after 50 years of leadership, he continued to come to his office until his recent illness.

Jack’s other passion was his love for the Fix family farm in Genesee, Idaho, purchased by his grandfather in 1883. He served on Lakeside’s Board of Trustees and held memberships at the Spokane Country Club and the Spokane Club. Jack will always be remembered for his great warmth and kindness. He was the rock in the lives of his children and grandchildren. And at the age of 60, he found the true love of his life in Becky, his wife of 24 years.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents John and Lois, brother George Dodson Fix, and first wife Sally B. Martyn.

He is survived by his wife Becky; his children and their spouses, Penn Fix and Debra Schultz, Barney Fix and Marsha Rooney, Sara Fix, and Monica Fix; grandchildren Louise and Pierce, and Jedediah and Kirsten; stepson Christopher Greene and stepdaughter Taylor Greene Kaiser, husband Brett and daughter Lauren.

Trevor D. Roberts ’32 • February 22, 2011

Trevor Digby Roberts, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, entrepreneur, hobbyist, friend, died peacefully in bed February 22, just two days short of his 97th birthday. Trevor was born to Ella and Percy Roberts in the home of his parents in Seattle. He was educated in a Vancouver, B.C. private school, Lakeside, and UW. He met his wife, Harriette Nelson, while skiing Mount Rainier and they were married July 3, 1936. Harriette and Trevor enjoyed 41 years of marriage before she passed away in 1977. Harriette and Trevor moved from Seattle to Whidbey Island in 1952, having bought Whido-Isle Beach Resort.

They carefully transformed Whido-Isle into a beautiful ➢ In Memoriam

51

➢ IN MEMORIAM: alumni, former faculty & staff garden spot reflecting their values and commitment to proper land stewardship. As the resort business faded in the early 1960s they converted Whido-Isle into the beautiful housing community Shangri-La Shores, continuing to reflect their desires to maintain the beauty of the land. The Shangri-La Shores community installed a new pier in 2009, naming it in Trevor’s honor. Trevor enjoyed living at Shangri-La until his death. Trevor had many hobbies during his lifetime. He acquired his first boat at an early age, when he lived on Alki Point in Seattle, and his love for fishing lasted most of his life. During his world travels, first with Harriette and then his good friend Shari Almasi, Trevor developed a passion for seashell collecting. He had an extensive collection of shells, catalogued and gloriously displayed. He loved sharing his passion with anyone who wanted to stop in and see the collection. Harriette and Trevor had two sons, Sandy (wife Susan) and Ron (wife Chris). At his passing Trevor was grandfather to five and great-grandfather to 10. Trevor had many, many friends who, along with his family, will miss the patriarch of the Roberts family.

James Scott ’38 • November 27, 2010

James R. Scott, born October 19, 1919 in Seattle, died November 27, 2010 at age 91 at his home. He was predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Nell. He is survived by his three children, Doug, Libess, and Jimmy, and six grandchildren, Alicia, Ben, Max, Keenan, JC, and Victoria. Jim attended McGilvra Elementary School, Garfield High, and Lakeside, and spent two years at the UW, where he was on the freshman football team and lettered in varsity track. From 1941 through 1945 he served with distinction in the Southwest Pacific with the Sixth Army Infantry. He was awarded two Purple Hearts, retiring with the rank of major. His infantry division at one time had more than 300 days of continuous combat, including several beach landings in New Guinea and the liberation of the Philippines. In his early days in the real estate business he helped develop the cities of Kennewick and Clyde Hill and he was responsible for naming Somerset in Bellevue and the City (plat at that time) of Mountlake Terrace. He was Prime Minister of Seafair 1958 and was involved in the promotion of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. He founded the successful commercial real estate firm of Scott Real Estate Investments, Inc. in 1966. He was a stern taskmaster on occasion, yet he was also one of the funniest men in Seattle (even performing on stage with Bob Hope). He made many people smile and will be greatly missed.

Dr. Charles Stewart ’49 • January 22, 2011

Dr. Charles Henry Stewart died peacefully at home January 22, surrounded by his devoted wife of 53 years, Adrien, and his children and grandchildren. At Lakeside, he served as president of the student body, was class valedictorian, and was captain of the football team. He completed his premedical studies at Harvard, where he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club/ Institute of 1770, the Bat Club, the football team, and the Harvard rowing team which won the American Henley Cup. He was a 1956 graduate of the UW School of Medicine, where he served as president of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity. Stewart interned at Philadelphia General Hospital, where he met the love of his life, Adrien, who was also interning there. They were married in New Orleans, where he completed his residency in obstetrics/ gynecology at Charity Hospital and served as chief resident; he was subsequently transferred to Lafayette, La. His commentary

52

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

to a friend on life in New Orleans was, “My God, they drink on Sunday after church.” The Stewarts’ mutual love of this unique area was instrumental in their decision to return following his military practice. Stewart served as a captain in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army and was stationed in Bad Cannstatt, Germany.

On returning to Lafayette following his honorable discharge from the Army, Stewart joined Hamilton Medical Group, where he practiced until his retirement in December, 2010. His hobbies were numerous: he was a lover of classical music, especially opera, and was a noted history buff, especially of the Civil War. Stewart was an avid hunter and loved the serenity of the Louisiana marshes. Stewart was a devoted and much-loved husband, father, and grandfather, and a compassionate and skilled physician who during his lifetime delivered more than 10,000 babies. He will be tremendously missed by all.

Timothy Thompson ’72 • January 5, 2011

Timothy Howard Thompson of Everett died on January 5. He was 55. Born February 16, 1955 to Terry and Lucille Thompson, from an early age he developed a passion for foreign culture and began a lifelong engagement with the wider world beyond his native Seattle. After graduating Lakeside, he was awarded a Benjamin Franklin Scholarship to The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), where he earned a BA in European history. Returning to Seattle, he began a professional career in finance, securing a MBA from the UW’s Michael G. Foster School of Business. An in-demand financial consultant for Northwest institutions and investors, as well as multinational companies, Tim developed a particular expertise in information technology that married his financial skills to the rising IT field. His last three years as a technology and cyber-security specialist at Capstone Solutions, Inc., saw him active on a wide range of work in international telecommunications and renewable energy. Although he often struggled with health issues, Tim refused to allow them to control him. Instead, he continued to mentor colleagues and inspire friends through his generous spirit and engagement with projects in the emerging fields of wind power and micro venture capital funding, empowering businesses to lift Third World communities out of poverty. Tim was a larger-than-life walking encyclopedia and an avid user of online social media and will be missed by a worldwide network of friends and admirers. Tim is survived by his brother Michael and adopted daughter Lera. He was predeceased by his parents and brothers Sonny and Jim.

F. William Waknitz ’66 • February 7, 2011

F. W. “Bill” Waknitz passed away February 7 from a heart attack.

He was 62. He was born and raised in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood. After graduating from Lakeside, he studied fisheries science at the UW. A devoted fisherman and passionate advocate for marine resources, he was dedicated to the health and recovery of salmon and trout resources in the Pacific Northwest, and was coauthor of numerous scientific papers on the subject. He spent the majority of his professional career working at the Manchester Research Station of the National Marine Fisheries Service, where he began as a technician, living onsite and caring for captive Atlantic salmon in floating net pens as part of a program to raise broodstock for depleted natural systems in the Northeast. As a result of his continued study of captive salmon stocks, he became an expert on the hatchery enhancement of wild anadromous species. He was also a trusted

source for information on fish diseases, threats to endangered wildstocks, and the challenges of modern commercial farmedsalmon culture. His work took him to Asia, where he was called upon to identify wild salmon harvested by illegal driftnet fleets, and to Chile, where he studied and advised the burgeoning commercial aquaculture industry. As a professional he held an abiding dedication to science and fairness in the often heated and wildly biased debates between wild- and farmed-fish advocates. A quiet man with great fly-tying skill and patience, he cherished the solitude of casting his own patterns to tempt trout or steelhead (catch and release) in the great rivers, small streams, and quiet lakes of the Pacific Northwest. Weekends would find him alternately relaxing with a book or perpetually rebuilding his staircase to the beach at his cabin on Camano Island. Ernest Hemingway wrote that “a man is never lost at sea.” Fly rod in hand, Bill will never be lost to his close friends who need only shut their eyes to see his silhouette mid-stream in the twilight. Bill is survived and greatly missed by his sister, Kris Waknitz, of Seattle and niece Kari Schlosshauer (Max), of Berlin.

Lando Zech Jr. ’41 • January 9, 2011

Lando W. Zech Jr. died on Sunday, January 9, 2011. Admiral Zech, a resident of Falls Church, Va., was born in Astoria, Ore. and spent his youth in Seattle, where he attended Roosevelt High School and Lakeside. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1941. Zech served 39 years in the Navy after his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1944 with the World War II class of 1945. His first assignment was to the destroyer USS John D. Henley (DD 553) in the Western Pacific, where he participated in the second battle for the Philippines, the

Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns, and on picket station duty off the coast of Japan during the last days of the war. After the war and a second destroyer tour on the USS Henry W. Tucker (DD 875), Zech volunteered for submarine duty and subsequently commanded four submarines, USS Sea Robin (SS 407), USS Albacore (AGSS 569), and USS Nautilus (SSN 571) and USS John Adams (SSBN 620). He later commanded the guided missile cruiser USS Springfield (CLG 7). Upon his selection to flag rank, he served as Commandant of the Thirteenth Naval District in Seattle, the Chief of Naval Technical Training in Memphis, Tenn., and as Commander, U. S. Naval Forces, Japan in Yokosuka. After his selection to vice admiral he served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel and Training and Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C. He retired from the Navy in 1983. He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College, and received a master’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University. In addition to campaign and foreign service medals he was awarded two Distinguished Service Medals, two Legions of Merit, and the Navy Commendation Medal. On retiring from the Navy he was appointed a commissioner and later chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Ronald Reagan.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Josephine K. Zech; five daughters: Janet Z. Cocke (James), Joanne Z. Lyons (Coleman), Nancy Z. Cunnane (Robert), Carol M. Zech, and Patricia Z. Nelson (Kirk); his 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Also surviving are his brothers, Dr. Robert J. Zech and Dr. Jerome M. Zech, both of Seattle. He was preceded in death by his brother John R. Zech.

FORMER FACULTY & STAFF Peter Dodd • November 25, 2010

Peter Carter Dodd, who taught at Lakeside from 1954-1958, died November 25, 2010. He spent his life, alongside wife Erica, encouraging understanding between Muslim cultures and the West. He was born June 16, 1930, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and attended high school at South Kent in New York state. After graduating from Princeton University he received his PhD in sociology from Harvard University, then taught for 20 years at the American University of Beirut. A former student said of him: “His modesty, demeanor, character, respect for others, profound understanding of the concerns of the Arab world, and unreserved empathy with its national struggles made him a hero in our eyes.”

Later, he worked for the United Nations, before becoming director of the Fulbright Foundation in Islamabad, Pakistan. He retired to Victoria, B.C., where he spent happy years; he was active with the Canadian Institute of International Affairs and enjoyed many good friends whose warm support was greatly appreciated these last months. Peter is survived by his wife Erica Cruikshank Dodd; their four children and families: Frances, Kika (Peter), Alex (Nikki), Daniel (Sharon); and his brother Bruce Dodd in Berkeley.

Kathleen Mahler • January 25, 2011

Kathleen Dee Kennedy Mahler was born in Detroit, Mich. to William and Loretta Kennedy. After graduating from Muskegon Community College, Kathleen attended the University of Michigan, where she received a BA in literature. Shortly after graduating, she was invited to England to live with an American

family, and she spent two years helping take care of their children and traveling to the continent. Upon her return from England, Kathleen relocated to Vancouver, B.C., where she worked at Simon Fraser University and later renewed a relationship with Daniel J. Mahler of Seattle, whom she’d met earlier at Michigan.

The renewal “clicked” and the two were married in June of 1969 at a small church on Fir Island in the Skagit Valley, an area to which she became greatly attached. Kathleen soon earned a teaching certificate and taught in the Edmonds and Issaquah school districts. A quirk of fate involving her husband’s design of a dress for her and inadvertently making contact with a Lakeside Middle School teacher, led to her being invited to an interim teaching position at Lakeside, while she also earned a master’s in education from the UW. She later accepted a regular position at Lakeside. Kathleen soon became recognized for her natural instinct at drawing out the often-hidden potential of students and for her ability to teach students from a wide range of backgrounds.

That reputation remained during her 26-year career at Lakeside and the seven years she tutored following her retirement in 2000.

For 16 years, Kathleen volunteered in the CASA (Guardian ad Litem) program administrated by King County, serving as an advocate for children. In August of 2008, Kathleen was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumor that had metastasized to her lungs.

For 15 months she fought with great courage, intelligence, and dignity for some good days that might still await her, and indeed did. Ultimately however, on January 18 she died in the arms of her loving husband and her sister, Patricia. ■ In Memoriam

53

The tradition continues

by Bruce Bailey ’59

T

he 23rd Annual

Alumni Basketball Tournament was held January 2, and once again a large and spirited group of alumni returned to campus to show off their skills. The young players dominated this year’s tournament, although veteran participants such as Neil Swanson ’78 and Bruce Moses ’83 made their presence known on the court.

Tournament winners from left: Current coach Montes Cornelius, John Schmale ’10, Adam Coppel ’09, Sam Fein ’10, Sten Jernudd ’10, Warren Fein ’77, and Evan Wyman ’91.

Alumni Basketball Tournament “ Team T.J.” back row from left: Ian Bollinger ’06, Shane Easter ’06, Connor Bench ’06, Matt Allen ’06, David Changa-Moon ’06, coach Michael Johnson, Brendan Vandor ’06, and Kiet Vo ’07 with veteran T.J. Vassar ’68.

This year’s field included two father-son combos: Warren ’77 and Sam Fein ’10, and T.J. Vassar ’68 and T.J. Vassar III ’94.

Five teams played a round-robin format leading to a 39-34 victory for tournament champions Adam Coppel ’09, Sam Fein ’10, Warren Fein ’77, Sten Jernudd ’10, John Schmale ’10, Evan Wyman ’91, and Montes Cornelius, a current boys varsity assistant basketball coach.

Mark your calendar for next year’s tournament, January 8, 2012. ■ Bruce Bailey ’59 is executive secretary

to the Alumni Association.

He can be reached at 206-440-2855 or bruce.bailey@lakesideschool.org.

54

LAKESIDE

Spring/Summer 2011

2010-2011

CALENDAR OF EVENTS summer/fall 2011 JUNE

7 9 10

LAKESIDE/ ST. NICHOLAS ALUMNI BOARD Megan Coughlin ’87

Middle School Closing Exercises

President

Christian Fulghum ’77

Upper School Commencement

President-Elect

Reunion 2011 dinner hosted by Lakeside for classes ending in 1 and 6

Mission & Governance Chair

10 - 12

Reunion 2011 individual class events

25

Claude Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament

30

Last day to contribute to the 2010-2011 Annual Fund

Janene Collins ’87 Betsy Hawkanson Ribera ’90

Activities Chair

Steffenie Birkeland Evans ’98

Alumni Connections Chair Patrick Chinn ’86

SEPTEMBER

Katie Fredlund ’99

24 Homecoming 2011

Ron Koo ’96

OCTOBER

Noelle Kvasnosky ’96

Bill Holt ’79 John Kucher ’73

1 Annual Fund kickoff breakfast and notewriting event 27 Belanich Family Speaker on Ethics and Politics featuring Doris Kearns Goodwin

Scott Larson ’89 Vanessa Brewster Laughlin ’99 Joe Levy ’91 Kyle Lobisser ’02

Questions? Please contact the alumni relations office of the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alumni Association at 206-368-3606 or alumni@lakesideschool.org

Lisa Marshall Manheim ’98 Fred Northup ’91 Siri Oswald ’90 Artemios (Tim) S. Panos ’85

REUNION 2011 WEEKEND June 10-12 Celebrating St. Nicholas and Lakeside alumni from classes ending in 1 and 6

Lakeside School will host a reception and casual dinner on Friday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m. on the Upper School campus. All reunion alumni and a guest, as well as current and former faculty and staff, are invited. Reunion volunteers are planning individual class events. In addition, the St. Nicholas and Lakeside Classes of 1961 will be honored at a 50th reunion luncheon and during the Upper School Commencement on June 9. Contact the alumni relations office at alumni@lakesideschool.org or 206-368-3606 for more information.

Get LinkedIn with Lakeside!

Want to network with other Lakeside/ St. Nicholas alumni? Join the official LinkedIn group for alumni to network, post job openings, and much more. Go to LinkedIn.com and join the Lakeside School/St. Nicholas School Alumni (Official Group).

John Patton ’88 Lindsay Clarke Pedersen ’92 Ben Resnick ’02 Heather Hewson Rock ’80 Adam Selipsky ’84 Jimmy Thomas ’79 Bruce Bailey ’59

Honorary Member

Join classmates on Facebook Stay connected with Lakeside/St. Nicholas classmates by joining the Lakeside School Alumni group on Facebook. New York-area alumni can join the Lakeside Alumni in NYC group. Interested in connecting with alumni in your city? Contact the alumni relations office at 206-368-3606 or alumni@lakesideschool.org about setting up a Facebook group or organizing an alumni gathering in your area.

Alumni news, calendar

55

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO. 738

Pleasedonate donateby byJune June30!

30!

Annual Fund Please Annual Fund

Your contribution to the Annual Fund helps to sustain faculty Your contribution to the Annual Fund helps to sustain faculty compensation, academic and cocurricular programs, student compensation, academic and cocurricular programs, student financial aid, athletics, and visual and performing arts. financial aid, athletics, and visual and performing arts.

Howwill willyour yourgift giftmake makean animpact? impact?

How $50 $50

• Spanish textbook for the languages program • Spanish textbook for the languages program • Athletic shoes for a student to run cross-country • Athletic shoes for a student to run cross-country • Honorarium for a guest speaker in the economics class • Honorarium for a guest speaker in the economics class

$100 $100

• Globe for Middle School social studies classroom • Globe for Middle School social studies classroom • Outdoor education trip fee for one student • Outdoor education trip fee for one student • Gene detection kit for Upper School science class • Gene detection kit for Upper School science class

$250 $250

• First-aid training for a Global Service Learning trip leader • First-aid training for a Global Service Learning trip leader • Solar cells and inverter for the solar energy class • Solar cells and inverter for the solar energy class • Painting and drawing supplies for the Upper School • Painting and drawing supplies for the Upper School

$500 $500

• New drum set for the Upper School Jazz Band • New drum set for the Upper School Jazz Band • Props and costumes for a Middle School play • Props and costumes for a Middle School play • Yearly bookstore expenses for one Upper School student • Yearly bookstore expenses for one Upper School student

Give online at www.lakesideschool.org/give or call 206-368-3606. Thank you!

Give online at www.lakesideschool.org/give or call 206-368-3606. Thank you!