Lakeside School Strategic Plan

The Foundation of the plan encompasses the core aspects of Lakeside School: Lakeside’s mission  — why we exist; our vision  — what our community needs now in order to realize our mission; our values  — how we behave and treat each other; and our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging — the deliberate nature of this work and the commitment of every member of our community. 

The Priority Areas are the overarching themes where we will focus our energies in the coming years: educational excellence; community experience, impact, and engagement; and infrastructure, operations, and capacity.

Together, let’s approach Lakeside School’s future with hope: knowing that the actions we take today will enable our students, and all members of our community, to contribute wisdom, compassion, and leadership to the world.

My godfather always told me, “Preparation is hope in action.” Without preparation, hope is empty. But with thoughtful groundwork, planning, and practice, hope becomes deeply rooted and powerfully felt. This strategic plan is our preparation: it lays out our ideas for the future and empowers us to take the steps to realize them. It is truly our hope in action. Dr. Kai Bynum, Head of School, 2022-2026

At Lakeside, everything starts with the mission. As the first part of the strategic planning process, Lakeside explored its mission statement — building an understanding of its strength, how it is lived by students and educators, and how we could augment it to further enhance the life of the school. 

Through this process of affirming the mission, the school developed a vision statement, intended to complement the school’s mission. As our community works to realize our mission, the vision informs what steps we will take in the years ahead. The pairing of these two reflects how we are rooted in Lakeside’s long-held values, while broadening our efforts and our reach in order to best serve our current and future students and families. 

In today’s rapidly changing world, the role of education extends far beyond academic instruction. Lakeside strives to cultivate an environment where both students and educators feel inspired, empowered, and motivated to make the world a better place. 

The vision statement at the heart of the strategic plan encapsulates this aspiration: "To cultivate a school community that inspires and empowers all our students and educators with the will to seek joy, to be hopeful, and to transform the world with care." This principle guides us as we collectively work to create a vibrant community that nurtures growth, resilience, and compassion.

Joy is a powerful motivator in the educational experience.

When students and educators approach learning with curiosity and playfulness, they are often more engaged, creative, and open to exploration. By being present in the moment, immersed in one’s learning, one may discover a passion that could evolve into a deeper sense of purpose.

Hope is the cornerstone of resilience and perseverance.

In a world filled with challenges and uncertainties, it’s crucial that we instill in students a sense that their actions matter. Hope can be hard. As educators, we can create structures that help students learn how to respond to adversity, embrace failure as both an occasional inevitability and a learning opportunity, and experience the grounded optimism that comes from seeing the results of hard work over time. Hope leans on the power of one’s courage and confidence, and we want to foster a community that believes in this power.

If we can provide a joyful learning environment in which students are imbued with hope, they will emerge resilient, confident, capable, and ready to put their powers of care to work in their larger communities.

Lakeside’s vision emphasizes the importance of care — both for oneself and for others. We prioritize social-emotional wellness and community engagement to cultivate empathy and compassion among students. Furthermore, we intend to create structures that enable us to promise families that every student at Lakeside will be seen, known, and valued for the individual they are. Our goal is to provide our students and adults with a level of care that both equips and inspires them to transform their worlds with care.

Lakeside’s strategic plan aims to cultivate joy, hope, and care within our school community. It connects us to our deeply rooted values and inspires us to imagine how we can broaden our reach to make the most of the amazing community we’re building.