Lakeside School

Head of School Kai Bynum shared the following message with parents and guardians by email on May 23. 
 

Dear parents and guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well as we head into the final stretch of the school year. May is always a joyful whirlwind, and it’s been wonderful to see many of you at campus events this week. I look forward to seeing more of you at the celebrations still to come, as we honor the work, growth, and spirit of our kids.

One of the many reasons I love the arts is their extraordinary ability to communicate what words alone cannot — to transmit emotion, identity, and meaning in a way that draws us together. The arts open a space where individual expression becomes collective understanding. They make room for memory, imagination, and belonging all at once.

Wednesday night’s Arts Fest was just that: a moment of shared experience, held with warmth and wonder. It wasn’t simply a showcase of talent — it was a reflection of who we are and who we aspire to be. You could feel it in the music, the visual work, the atmosphere — the quiet joy of witnessing each other fully. It was a portrait of community in its most luminous form: multigenerational, inclusive, alive with energy, and grounded in care.

What moved me most was the way Arts Fest gave form to the vision that lives at the heart of Lakeside: joy, hope, and care. These are not abstract ideals, nor are they confined to strategic plans. They are choices, made again and again, in the way we show up for one another. And they are held and modeled most powerfully by the people who give their time and spirit not just to their own children’s growth, but to the life of the school itself.

It’s precisely because this moment in the year is so full that I wanted to write now — and not wait for summer or fall. Before the final curtain falls on this school year, I want to extend a deep and specific thank you to the parents and guardians of our seniors. Many of you have not only walked alongside your children during these transformative years, but have also helped guide the community itself. Through your presence, your engagement, and your example, you have helped shape the tone of what it means to be in partnership with the school. You have preached and practiced the essential ethos that underpins our Hope in Action plan — joy as a practice, hope as a stance, and care as a shared responsibility. You’ve shown us what it looks like to lead with openness and integrity, and in doing so, you’ve helped us imagine the kind of community we can become. 

The strength of that vision — and the generosity behind it — will continue to shape Lakeside for years to come. The gift you’ve given is not only to the present, but to the future.

Throughout this year, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many of you — in meetings, at events, and often in between. In every conversation, there is a quiet but steady throughline: a desire for students to be seen, known, and valued. That shared hope is one of our greatest strengths, and it has guided our evolving collaboration with the Parents and Guardians Association.

The PGA’s work — grounded in philanthropy, communication, and community — has long been essential to the health of the school. Next year, we’ll be deepening that relationship through more structured collaboration between the PGA and the school, especially with the advancement and student support teams. This is part of a broader effort to create a more connected experience for all families, including those who may not yet feel deeply engaged. If you are a parent or guardian at Lakeside, you are part of this community — and we care deeply about your experience.

This alignment is not only organizational, but also aspirational. Hope in Action, our strategic plan, makes a deliberate call for deeper, more intentional community-building. One way we are answering that call is by refining how we listen — through partnerships like our new collaboration with Qualtrics, which will help us gather meaningful feedback to guide programming, engagement, and support for families. The PGA will play a role in this work by collaborating on the design of next year’s surveys and reflections.

We had originally hoped to begin this outreach sooner, but in the busyness of May — a beautiful kind of chaos — we’ve chosen to begin this work in the early fall. That timing will allow us to reflect more deeply and to begin next year grounded in intention, alignment, and trust.

And yet, even now, the future is taking shape. I saw it in the way students supported one another at Arts Fest, in the quiet smiles shared between faculty and families, in the way past, present, and future seemed to briefly overlap. Culture is built in these moments — through shared presence, not performance. Arts Fest reminded me of that. It reminded me that our collective work is both a structure and a spirit. And that spirit is alive and well.

So while this letter began as a message about plans and progress, it ends with an illuminating, reflective blend of feelings and gratitude.

Thank you for the spirit I saw at Arts Fest.

Thank you for the time and care you’ve given — not just for your children, but for our school.

Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your partnership.

And to the senior families, especially: Thank you for the community you’ve helped us create. You have not only walked with us — you’ve made the path clearer for those who follow.

As I’ve said before — and will continue to say — this works best when we work together. And when we do, we create a school where joy, hope, and care are not performances, but promises.

Let’s finish together. 

Warmly,

Kai Bynum
Head of School