LEEP History

In 1965 Dan Ayrault and Jim and Pete Steil set up the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program. They took an idea from the National Association of Independent Schools and developed a partnership between Lakeside School and Seattle Public Schools. The Lakeside teachers would staff the program and provide facilities, and the Seattle Public School junior high school counselors would select the students most appropriate to attend. The student selection criterion was not much different than it is today. The program was funded by private donations and grants. The initial program ran for seven weeks and consisted of all males. (Lakeside was an all-male school at that time.)

This same program has been operating ever since that time. The daily schedule of the program has changed over the years. Sometimes the numbers of the participants has risen as high as 100 for the summer, but the objectives of the program have remained constant. The wonder of LEEP has always been enhanced by the incredible beauty of the Lakeside campus and the dedication of the teachers and counselors who teach in the program. Since 1965 nearly 3,000 students have experienced LEEP.

In 1992, LEEP became more than a summer program alone. Thanks to the generous contributions of the Nintendo Corporation, LEEP was extended into a yearlong program. Nintendo provided two grants totaling $800,000 to provide follow-up assistance to LEEP graduates. Since that time, LEEP graduates have met periodically throughout the year to discuss some of the summer events, talk about their current schooling, or participate in some type of enrichment activity. All of the year-round activities are designed to maintain the bond developed among the LEEP participants during the summer. Most recently, LEEP staff has used the Lakeside model for college counseling to provide college counseling assistance to LEEP students in the senior year of high school. This service is having a significant impact on LEEP students’ ability to find appropriate college placements, since the public schools provide a very limited amount of counseling in this area.