Lakeside Alumnus Visit—Class of 1973: Bill Gates

By Sue Belcher

The Downtown School was honored by a visit from Bill Gates in early November. Gates, who graduated from Lakeside School in 1973, spent time at the school meeting with students, teachers, and myself to learn more about what makes this place so special. Since he visits schools regularly, I decided to share some of the unique facets of our model, including the levers for cost savings, distributive leadership, and our ability to be nimble. I highlighted aspects of the curriculum including the thematic, applied math and computational thinking program, interdisciplinary classes, and using the city as a lab for learning. 

For security reasons, I wasn’t allowed beforehand to tell students who had been selected for a panel who they were meeting with. Later one student told me, “I thought that we were all gathering in your office due to a COVID-19 exposure.” Of course, they were delighted to hear that this was not the case. Students spoke with Gates about the school culture and how it has evolved over time. They also shared that most students have developed a strong sense of agency through leading clubs and activities. Lastly, students highlighted that their favorite parts of DTS are the community and their close relationships with teachers. The Downtown School sits at the intersection of academic rigor and experiential learning. Students love the challenging and engaging curriculum. 

Lastly, Gates met with founding teachers to learn about their experiences. Biology teacher, Kelsey Van Dalfsen, shared some unique benefits of using the city as a lab. Our biology classes (9th and 12th grades) are working with Maitreya Dunham’s lab at the University of Washington on a project related to evolution of antifungal resistance. Through this partnership, our students have access to equipment and resources that they wouldn’t typically have access to, while the UW lab gains additional data and unique perspectives. In a similar vein, English teacher Brian Crawford shared that our seniors gave pitches to executives at the Seattle Opera on how to make La bohème more attractive to a GenZ audience. Our best partnerships are mutually beneficial. They involve students helping solve real problems in businesses and organizations. History teacher George Heinrichs is also the co-director of facilities. He shared how, through distributive leadership, teachers model being lifelong learners. For example, there is no manual when things break down in a 1927 building. He has to approach his facilities role with a growth mindset. In closing, teachers highlighted that our perpetual beta philosophy has empowered them to not let perfectionism get in the way of progress. We are constantly making small tweaks to the curriculum in the quest for continuous improvement. 

Throughout the morning, word spread that Microsoft’s founder was on campus. When he left at lunch time, the upstairs hallway was full of eager students hoping for a glimpse of the famous philanthropist. They were happily surprised that he stayed for a while to shake hands and pose for selfies. 

Thanks for being a good sport, Bill! You are welcome back anytime.