REVIEW OF Lakefield College School BY Alum, Sam Dickey

(5) Overall Experience

My experience at Lakefield College School was amazing. I instantly fell in love with the community there. From the bonds I made on the first day to the relationships I built with teachers in the classroom, it truly felt like I was part of a family. The school prepared me in ways that I did not expect. Yes, it prepares you very well for your future in terms of education, but it also prepares you for life in general, whether it is something as simple as a daily greeting or as important as an interview for a new job. LCS equips you with a unique skill set that helps you stand out and collaborate easily with others. If a new student enrolled at this school, I would expect them to develop a new appreciation for nature, a love of learning, and a greater appreciation for people as a whole. Before coming to Lakefield, I liked being in nature, but it was not something I proactively sought out. Years later, LCS is the reason I attend a nature-focused campus in British Columbia. Connecting with teachers and students became something I looked forward to every day. The teachers care deeply about you and dedicate so much of themselves to supporting their students. I would not change anything about LCS. It taught me everything I wanted to know about myself. My advice is to take advantage of every opportunity available to you. LCS is a rare place where you can experience truly wonderful opportunities.

Looking Back

What stands out to me most are the friendships I made here. I met my partner of three years, my best friend, and teachers I could truly talk to about anything. The community stays with you for life, even after you leave campus. I remember feeling extremely safe, comfortable, and at home. I never thought I would wake up each day and be able to attend a school where I could camp, act, play sports, and see some of my favourite people in the world, all while being taught by people who genuinely care and whom you can also call friends.

Current Perspective

I see the school in an interesting way now. As a staff member, I have a different perspective and can see the work that goes into connecting with alumni and ensuring they still feel connected to LCS. What stands out to me most is the school's focus on students. Every meeting and every email is centred on optimizing the student experience. I now recognize just how hard the staff work and how much dedication and love they put into this school. The only weakness I see is, in a way, also one of its greatest strengths. You become like family with the people here. You find a best friend, and you may find a first love, whether in a person, a subject, or a club. The difficult part is that many students are boarders. As a day student, the feeling of loss can be profound when those daily connections change. The relationships stay with you forever, but the happiness and privilege of seeing that staff member or student every single day eventually fade. Everything has a weakness, and the weakness of LCS is that the connections and love you build here are so strong that when a relationship naturally changes or grows more distant, it can be very saddening.

Your Advice

My advice would be to try everything. It sounds obvious, but it is true. You are going to school with some of the best and most intelligent people in the world, and you have opportunities to learn how to act, play a sport, fly a plane, canoe, camp, and even study sustainability at the Northcote Farm. Take every opportunity you can. It can change your life and give you an incredible advantage in the real world. I wish someone had told me to spend a year as a boarder. At LCS, you come to love the school and the people so much that you do not want to leave. My life outside of LCS started to fade, but I was not sad because my life at LCS was growing. If I had boarded, I think I would have had a fuller LCS experience and been able to savour my time there even more.

(5) School Leadership

I felt that there was a great deal of respect between students and teachers. There are so many opportunities at LCS to take on leadership roles, and because of that, students are able to work closely with teachers. The relationships between students and teachers are often more friendship-based because of the amount of group time they spend together and the role teachers play in managing the houses. You quite literally have staff members who take on a parental role. As a result, it is easy to feel comfortable around them and to build strong connections. Overall, I never felt there was a lack of confidence or respect within the student and staff community, despite how close those relationships could become. If a student crossed a line or did something wrong, there was never any favouritism. You received the appropriate consequence, and the staff treated you fairly. If anything, those strong relationships made it easier to have respectful conversations about disciplinary matters and arrive at fair outcomes.

(5) Teaching

The teaching at Lakefield College School was fantastic. Not only were the teachers highly knowledgeable in their respective fields, but they also demonstrated a level of passion and care that I never thought I would experience in my educational journey. There is a dedicated time at LCS called Grove Time, during which teachers willingly give up part of their own lunch break to help students in any way they can. The teachers are one of, if not the greatest, strengths of LCS. They consistently challenge you within your limits and encourage you to grow. It always seemed that their goal was not simply for you to earn good grades, but to genuinely love what you do. If you were unhappy with your work, they did not focus solely on getting you to complete it. Instead, they worked to help you find a spark and develop a passion for what you were learning. Many teachers gave me lessons that will stay with me for life. Braeckman instilled in me a work ethic and drive that fueled many areas of my life and helped me better understand who I am. O'Grady gave me greater insight into what truly matters in life and helped me better understand purpose and happiness. St. John sparked one of the greatest passions in my life: acting.

(5) Academics

The academics at LCS create a foundation that stays with you for life. It is difficult to think of any academic weaknesses, as the wide variety of programs available supports a broad range of interests. Moreover, the AP Capstone program at LCS allows students to challenge themselves further and prepares them for post-secondary education in a very meaningful way. The number of top universities around the world that LCS graduates attend is remarkable. The academic environment is both competitive and supportive. If I were to identify one flaw in the academic system, it would be that there are so many opportunities available that it can be difficult to keep up with everything that is happening. Additionally, being surrounded by some of the smartest students in the world can sometimes feel nerve-racking and intimidating, especially when trying to keep pace with your peers.

(5) Extracurriculars

At LCS, there are so many extracurricular activities. From Arts to Athletics within the school, or even supporting Arts and Athletics outside of the school. The energy is electric, and the school causes you to always participate in a Co-Curricular for each term and a club. They give you an insight into your athletic abilities and also help discover your artistic or intellectual side.

(5) Students

The students at LCS are exceptional. The ability to meet students from all around the world and learn about different cultures is exceptional at LCS. The intersession programs give you the ability to connect with your students before you have even started an assignment. When I came to LCS, I had one friend. In a week, I had a best friend with whom I now go to university and live, classmates who had taken me to places such as London and Miami, and a partner of 3 years. To quote Louisa Dalglish, "To be at LCS is to be "chalant'" meaning that at LCS, it is where you should be quirky, outgoing and supportive. That crazy part of you who embraces who they truly are and is loved for it.

(5) School Life

I absolutely loved going to LCS. As a day student, you combine two lives: the life you are living and the new life LCS has offered you. It gave me more of an appreciation for the academics, the arts and the athletics. But mostly it opened my eyes to how big the world truly is and how lucky I was to be surrounded by such amazing people and so many opportunities. Leaving this school, you don't see it the same as other schools or the graduations seen on the TV screens. Instead of hats flying in the air and smiles filling a room, it's filled with tears of joy as well. For the years spent at this place, and the pain of having to move on and leave such a wonderful place. ,

(5) Community

What stands out about the community at Lakefield is that it isn't similar to a family; it is a family. The warmth and joy celebrated within the community are shocking. It's not something practised every morning; it is a kindness that each member of the community harbours. So it is effortless when the warmth lights up every classroom or field on a daily basis. Parents are encouraged to be involved in school life. I'd like to think that I had a lasting impact at LCS; however, my mother was so fascinated with the community that she volunteered every chance she had and showed up to every single event LCS had to offer. As an alum, LCS is constantly staying in touch with you and inviting you back to the campus. I keep in touch with all of my friends, and the ones I can hang out with on a weekly basis, I would consider my best friends. It is hard to stay in touch with friends who live across the world because you see them less but knowing that you always have a couch to crash on in random places around the world is comforting.

(5) School Location

Now this is one of the more unique aspects of LCS. A school that embodies the outdoors every day has the ability to celebrate that and enforce that within the community. With the nature trails and hyrox courses, with the gorgeous waterfront, it is something you cannot get at another private school in Canada. The town of Lakefield is gorgeous and a small, quaint town perfect for supporting such a vibrant community as LCS.

(5) Admissions

My advice would be to trust LCS. I strongly believe that LCS is one of the best places in the world for a teenager, and I think many of my classmates would agree. That said, people outside of LCS may disagree. Perhaps that is because this place is designed for a certain type of person, characteristic, or ambition. I am not entirely sure. What I do know is that I always felt as though LCS was more focused on whether the school could support and benefit what I wanted for my future, rather than whether I could benefit what the school wanted from me.

(5) University placement and counselling

The university counselling at LCS is fantastic. I felt supported throughout the entire application process, including with all of my supplemental applications, and there were constant check-ins along the way. The counsellors not only ensured that I had the right support for my university applications, but they also focused on helping me find the university that was the best fit for me. You have a guidance meeting before the school year even begins, and there are continual opportunities to follow whichever application timeline works best for you. It is extremely impressive how knowledgeable and experienced each counsellor is. If I had a question about a university, it was answered. If I needed help, they understood the application process and knew how to guide my ideas into responses that would be more effective and application-friendly. Most importantly, applying to university can be a stressful and intimidating experience. Having someone you trust, a mentor who feels like a second parent, guiding you through the process makes a tremendous difference.