In Support of Excellence
Diversity at Lakeside is the actualization of Lakeside’s mission statement.  Lakeside’s goal is to graduate students who are academically excellent, creative, ethical and productive leaders in a global society.  A global society by definition is a diverse community.

We are a diverse community. Well over one third of Lakeside students are people of color. A quarter of students are on financial aid. We reflect multiple nationalities, gender orientations and economic conditions. By intention, Lakeside increasingly offers students a chance, inside our community as well as through external programs, to gain the skills, understanding and confidence to be successful and respectful global citizens. Our students are encouraged to establish quality relationships with those who are different in color, culture and/or orientation and economic levels.

The Parents Association Diversity Committee supports this mission. We provide a forum and programs for all parents, guardians and other members of the community to explore the experiences and values as well as the challenges and opportunities of diversity.  In doing so, we support Lakeside’s emphasis on excellence. We invite your participation.

2007-2008 Programs
The Diversity Committee anticipates developing and offering four programs during the 2007-2008 school year. Three are described here:

• October 9: The Importance of Diversity Skills in the Emerging Workplace

Skills, comfort, confidence and experience in diversity are increasingly sought-after qualities in the work force. These traits are not only important in fields like international trade, they are essential in almost every profession including law, healthcare and other public service, construction, high tech and retail. Through a diverse panel of corporate leaders and recent graduates, we will explore the importance of cultural competence and global understanding in the workplace. Click here for details.


• Feb 2, 2008: Video teleconference with Harvard's Professor of Cognition and Education, Howard Gardner

The PA Diversity Committee’s Interactive Discussion with Dr. Howard Gardner

What: Live video teleconference with Harvard Professor of Cognition and best selling author of Multiple Intelligences with special host and interviewer - Lakeside’s own Bernie Noe.
When: Saturday, February 2nd, 2008, 3:30 – 5:30 PM
Where: Kent-Evans Auditorium
RSVP: Holly Morris Jacobson at holly@voteraction.org

And here’s an idea: What if the whole school community read one book?

How about Dr. Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future?

Five Minds for the Future Harvard Business School Press

Gardner's newest book, Five Minds for the Future outlines the specific cognitive abilities that will be sought and cultivated by leaders in the years ahead.

They include:

The Disciplinary Mind: the mastery of major schools of thought, including science, mathematics, and history, and of at least one professional craft.

The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others.

The Creating Mind: the capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena.

The Respectful Mind: awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups.

The Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one's responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.

In the book, Gardner draws from a wealth of diverse examples to illuminate these ideas, designed to inspire lifelong learning and also to provide valuable insights for those charged with training and developing organizational leaders.

Drawing on decades of cognitive research and rich examples from history, politics, business, science, and the arts, Gardner writes for professionals, teachers, parents, political and business leaders, trainers, and all who prize the cognitive skills at a premium for tomorrow.


• March 2008, (date TBD): Encountering Lakeside - Navigating a New Culture

Many students and families are both excited and challenged when first encountering the Lakeside community. The reasons are as diverse as our community. Some of us are recent immigrants to this country. Others may have left a public school a few miles away but feel they have entered a whole new world. The Diversity Committee has begun to develop a program in which we can share our experience of this encounter as a celebration of the rich diversity of the Lakeside parent and guardian community.