Lakeside: A History of Change

Relocations. New programs. Mergers. Shifts in the student body. Innovative approaches. Lakeside School’s desire and embrace of change over time have contributed to its success and positioned it as a leader in education in Seattle and around the world.

Today’s Lakeside School is the result of two separate schools: St. Nicholas, a school for girls, was founded in 1910 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Moran-Lakeside, a school for boys on the shores of Lake Washington, was founded in 1919 by Frank G. Moran. The two institutions merged in 1971, leading to a period of rapid evolution and Lakeside School taking its place as one of the region’s foremost independent schools.

We invite you to learn more about Lakeside School over time.

Exhibits and Histories

Lakeside Drama Archives

Browse digitized programs from Lakeside drama productions spanning the decades.

Celebrating Bernie Noe: A transformative head of school, 1999-2022

Read about Noe's impact on the school.

Lakeside's First Century: A History of Purpose and Progress

Learn about Lakeside's first century through an interactive timeline.

The enduring power of Quest

Among the hundreds of outdoor trips and courses Lakeside students have taken over the years, Quest stands out as remaining virtually unchanged since it began 36 years ago.

The history of St. Nicholas School, 1910-1971

Learn more about the history and traditions of Seattle’s St. Nicholas School in an interactive timeline.

History of Film Courses at Lakeside

The study of film first appears in the Lakeside archives in a curriculum guide from 1978.

Building Bliss: A History of Lakeside’s Most Iconic Building

Over the years, Bliss Hall has been many things to many people.

The Origins of the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program

The article examines the origins of the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program (LEEP), begun in the summer of 1965.

Coach Anderson: Game plan focuses on relationships

What was it that made Anderson a legend among the students he coached?

Contributed Histories
Oral Histories

Contributed Histories

Histories and Memoirs of Lakeside and St. Nicholas School written by administrators, faculty, staff, and alumni

Views presented in contributed histories are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the school.

Footnotes from the Headmaster (Lakeside School, 1951-1969), by Dexter K. Strong, 1984
A History of the Lakeside Rocket Society, by Nym Park '64, 2014
Lakeside and World War II: A Summary of Findings from Research Conducted in Lakeside School Student Newspapers, by A. B. Adams P'13 '18, 2012
Lakeside History, by C.L. "Mac" McCuskey, 1980
A History of the Lakeside School Parents and Guardians Association, by Judy Bauer P'84 '85, 1989
The History of St. Nicholas School, by Phyllis A. Hayes '52, 1980
Systemic Racism in an Educational System Designed to Perpetuate the Dominance of the Social Elite: The Experience of the First Black Female Lakeside School Graduate, by Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney '73, 2021

Externally published histories of Lakeside and St. Nicholas School

Lakeside School (Seattle), by Mary T. Henry
St. Nicholas School (Seattle), by Paula Becker

Oral Histories

Oral history, as defined by the Oral History Association, is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral histories can help fill in the gaps resulting from conventional record keeping practices by adding personal (and sometimes underrepresented) voices to archival repositories.

Lakeside’s oral history program dates back to the archives’ founding in 2003. Prior to that, the school conducted interviews for a variety of reasons and those recording are also preserved in the archives. Recordings are in audio (1978-2012) and video (2012- ) format. Interviews offer unique perspectives on school culture, decision-making processes, historical actions, events, changes over time, as well as insight into the personal journeys of individual students, alumni, board members, and school employees.

Lakeside oral history program interviews are conducted by trained interviewers, approved by each interviewee, transcribed and preserved by the archives, and made available for research and reflection upon request. Contact the archivist for more information.

Oral history agreement form

Oral history release form

Oral history information for interviewees

Oral history information packet for student interviewers