Lake Washington Girls Middle School empowers girls to be strong in mind, body, and voice. L-Dub inspires girls to become agents of change. With innovative programming, we foster discovery, build confidence, and nurture compassion in our community.
Hundreds of students have passed through our doors, stronger in mind, body, and voice than when they arrived. Our mission is critical. Our passion is palpable. L-Dub girls will change the world.
We have an exceptional opportunity to establish a permanent home: a ground-up construction project built for L-Dub’s distinct teaching, learning, community, and social connections; a home that will reflect our values and propel our programs forward; a home that will secure the future of our school.
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Over the course of our school’s history, we have moved three times. Each move shaped our culture of ingenuity and creativity, but we have longed for a place to establish deep roots. If we remain in our current leased location, necessary seismic and safety upgrades could cost our community up to $4 million—a big investment for a space that’s not our own. Instead, we have an opportunity to control our own destiny, to build for and around our students.
A modern facility will better match—and enhance—our pedagogical approach to 21st century learning and include dedicated spaces that we do not have on-site today. With flexible spaces designed for active learning, collaboration, and skills development, our new building will allow for independent, one to one, small group, and large group gatherings.
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A fiscally responsible investment in a new home for LWGMS allows us to maintain control of future costs and continue to prioritize our tuition assistance program. We are dedicated to maintaining our values and our ability to provide affordable, accessible education to a diverse community.
In order to achieve our vision, LWGMS is partnering with a long-time friend, Giddens School – a preschool through fifth grade, all-gender, independent elementary school – to purchase and develop property together. On one campus, we will retain our own distinct identities, programs, and administrations while sharing building costs and common areas often underutilized in schools.
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LWGMS and Giddens provide educational communities that focus on integrating academic learning, social and emotional development, and social justice. Each school holds an important place in Seattle’s educational landscape: both are counted among the most diverse independent schools in Seattle in terms of students' race, ethnicity, economic status, and family configurations, and both have demonstrated decades of leadership in social justice teaching and learning. With a shared campus, shared resources, and shared construction and operational costs, L-Dub and Giddens will be able to... Remain committed to providing robust financial assistance. Secure our future in a long-term and financially sustainable facility. Foster collaboration among administrators, teachers, and staff about teaching and learning through the lens of social justice. On one shared campus, we will support our collective commitment to empowering students to create positive change in the world.
Patricia Hearn Head of School Lake Washington Girls Middle School
Patricia Hearn Head of School phearn@lwgms.org 206.709.3800 Becky O’Boyle Director of Institutional Advancement boboyle@lwgms.org 206.709.3800 x112 Find out more at lwgms.org/futureready.
Morva McDonald Head of School Giddens School
Lake Washington Girls Middle School’s Future Ready campaign will secure a permanent home and a healthier, more sustainable future for our community.
Our generous community has brought us to this pivotal moment in our school’s history. Today, we invite you to join us and invest in the future of L-Dub.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead