By Mike Arsenault, Lakefield Environmental Action Force (LEAF) Coach, Values Advocate: Environmental Stewardship and Biology Teacher We are a school that has always been deeply connected to our environment. The sun, water, land, and wind that nurture life—nurtures us. Our Lakefield environment is vital and it connects us together. It is important to us and right now we acutely feel that something is missing. It has shaped who we are, it informs our growth, and it anchors our community. For some of us it's sacred. To me, it feels like LCS has been quietly celebrating Earth Day since our birth as a school, 141 years ago. Springtime and camp Lakefield has lifted the spirits of many students. Those of you new to LCS are missing that experience right now, and those of you who have been here longer know precisely the magic that springtime at LCS brings. We all feel a loss.…
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Finding Our Motivation and Rekindling Our Fire During Tough Times
By John Runza, Assistant Head: School Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8r7XjZwR54 We are heading into our fourth week of Learning With Lakefield - Remotely. At this point science, and researchers who have studied learning in this environment, tell us that the honeymoon phase may feel like it is ending, if it isn’t over already, and the ‘dog days’ of remote learning begin to bark louder. The novelty of the program is gone and motivation wanes. How do we rekindle the fire? Where do we find the strength to dig that much deeper? Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Chaplain’s from other Ontario schools and we all identified the fact that our schools are grieving. We are grieving the loss of being together, the loss of our community. In his recent Harvard Business Review article That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief Scott Berinato speaks to this exact issue. He calls us to acknowledge…
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Learning With Lakefield Remotely: Pathways Leading To and From Our Program
By Jen Frickey, Director of Learning Success and Dean Van Doleweerd, Assistant Head:Academics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCoZgInyB8&t=11s Over the last month, the entire world has been impacted by an event that quickly swept across the globe. In our corner of the world, we have been taking the Lakefield experience and trying to find a way to have our community stay connected and continue learning together through Learning with Lakefield—Remotely. While there are many ideas driving our work, we have focused on academic excellence, co-curricular enrichment and learning and growth sustained through community engagement. Through these lenses our teachers are able to deliver a curriculum that is advanced and enriched, and to continue to support and hold high expectations for our students for the remainder of our year. Maintaining an Intentional Pace: Easing In and Ramping Up to Deeper Learning At LCS, we benefited from the advantage of time and the experience of other educators.…
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