If there was ever a teacher who embodied Lakeside School’s values — of kindness, service, and caring for others — it was Ben McKinley. “There’s just something about Ben,” said math teacher James Lajoie of his former colleague.
A beloved math teacher and community member, Mr. McKinley began working at Lakeside in 2010. He passed away on March 30, 2025 after a 2 ½ year battle with lymphoma. Today, his memory lives on in hundreds of students and faculty members.
“He was a super kind teacher and always made it a point to connect with students individually and really understand what they were going through,” said Nour Gajial ’22, who had Mr. McKinley as an advisor and Algebra II teacher. “We would come to him with almost anything in our life and he would be open to talking about it.”
Mr. McKinley went above and beyond to support his students. In Nour’s words, Mr. McKinley “really put his 110% into every student that he taught.” He could often be found sitting at his desk in the math core, explaining — and patiently re-explaining — a concept to a student until it finally “clicked.”
Nour remembers struggling a bit in Algebra II. She said she never thought she would take an honors-level math course — that was, until Mr. McKinley encouraged her, helping her catch up and recommending she enroll in Honors Geometry.
Currently, Nour is working on a startup that helps students learn math through AI. She credits Mr. McKinley with helping her get where she is today.
“I actually told him about my journey starting it, and he was always super encouraging and would constantly ask for updates … he’s been a huge inspiration because I don’t even know if I would be in the place to [create] this math AI startup, if it wasn’t for him pushing me to challenge myself in math,” she said. “So I feel like a lot of credit goes to him for pushing me and for literally helping me see math in a different way.”
Even beyond math, Mr. McKinley displayed kindness, dedication, and care. He made an effort to truly get to know the kids he taught — not only as students, but as people.
“You felt like Ben really knew who you were,” said former student Zane Nagel ’22, who recalled chatting about the Seahawks with Mr. McKinley before class. “You felt like you could go to Ben because he wanted to see you succeed and he wanted to help you.”
Nour remembers that, when her art piece was showcased in Shoreline City Hall, Mr. McKinley made a trip to visit it in person.
“He was a huge supporter for me in many facets of my life beyond academics,” she said. “That was really touching to me as a student to see a teacher go out on their own time and support me …”
Outside of school, Mr. McKinley had two greatest loves: his family and the outdoors. A devoted husband and father, he adored his wife, Jackie, and two children, Bryce and Keira. He took great pride in their accomplishments and could often be spotted cheering on Bryce at Lakeside baseball games or belaying Keira at the local climbing gym.
Mr. McKinley, who had summited all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, relished being surrounded by nature with family and friends. He and his wife — whom he met on a Grand Canyon River expedition — enjoyed taking their children paddle boarding, hiking, kayaking and more.
“ I have this distinct memory of him talking about a kayaking trip he did with his family and seeing a bunch of sea otters — that was a big topic during one advisory meeting,” said Nour.
Mr. McKinley’s thoughtfulness carried over to other activities at Lakeside. During his time at the school, he mentored new faculty, coached Middle School basketball, advised the Student Awareness Council, and was a Student Equity Programs Coordinator. He was also elected by his colleagues to serve as a faculty representative on the Judicial Committee (JC).
“He was a very thoughtful decision-maker on JC,” said Zane, a former committee member. “He was a good listener and he really valued listening to all the different perspectives and evidence and the whatnot before coming to a decision … He had a strong moral compass. Ben clearly went through the steps because he valued the work of the judicial committee and what it stood for.”
He was also a cherished advisor.
McKinley advisory activities included “hallway bowling,” virtual Pictionary on skribbl.io, and even — during online school — playing Among Us. Yet, one tradition stands out to Nour: “ we would take out these different colored mats … and sit on the classroom floor and go over our rose and thorn and something we’re looking forward to for the week.”
“I would say one of my favorite memories was honestly just sitting on the mats in advisory and just hearing about his weekend and what his plans were and what he did with his children,” she said, adding that she tended to be shy in her first few years of high school but Mr. McKinley’s transparency helped her become more open.
“ Ben just, he appreciated the beauty of life,” said Mr. Lajoie.
Mr. Lajoie said one of Mr. McKinley’s favorite places was the Ballard Locks, the place where he invited Mr. Lajoie on a run during Mr. Lajoie’s first year at Lakeside. That year, he also invited his new colleague over to his home for dinner with him and his family.
“I was always learning from Ben and just the conversations that we had on those runs,” said Mr. Lajoie. “I felt incredibly welcomed by him and his family.”
Other math teachers were similarly inspired by Mr. McKinley.
Mr. Lajoie recalled Mr. McKinley’s signature lesson: on the first day of school, he would break Algebra I students into groups and hand them a fitted bed sheet, instructing them to fold it in the cleanest way possible.
“He was kind of famous in the math department for [this activity],” said Mr. Lajoie. “I could never recreate that. And to this day I still can’t fold a fitted sheet, every time I’m trying to fold it it’s a mess … [but] I know other teachers have implemented that as a day-one activity and that is all Ben, right? That’s a really beautiful way that we can remember Ben.”
Besides neatly folding linens, Mr. Lajoie believes there are other things Lakesiders can do to carry on Mr. McKinley’s legacy.
“The word that has come to my mind a lot since his passing is this idea of ‘champion.’ I feel like Ben was a champion of other people. Even though he was incredibly talented and has lots of accolades and whatnot and accomplishments in his own life, he actively sought knowledge about the cool things people do, whether they were colleagues or students or just strangers. And he would find what brings another person joy and champion that,” he said.
“I feel like Lakeside is such a busy place — we’re always go-go-go-go-go. And I feel like what Ben was expert at was always making time for the important things and checking in with people to genuinely see how they’re doing,” he said.
While Mr. McKinley taught math and engaged in myriad activities at Lakeside, it is ultimately his caring and kind spirit that students and colleagues will carry with them.
“I always felt like I could go and chat with Ben. He would stop whatever he was doing and give a listening ear,” said Mr. Lajoie. “It’s easy to get swept up in the busyness of life, and I think that what Ben taught me is that the busyness is not important. What’s important are the people around you and looking out for other people.”
“I think Ben would say, ‘Don’t get swept up in the busyness.’ Make time for each other and check in with each other and just slow down.”
A celebration of life is planned at Sunset Bay Lodge at the Ballard Elks Club on Sunday, June 29th from 5-6:30 p.m.
If you’re experiencing grief, please know that you are not alone. We encourage you to reach out to your advisor or a trusted adult on campus, including Lakeside counselors Dr. Sjoberg, Ms. Swanson, and Mr. Buren. Additionally, you can find outside support at national grief support hotlines by either calling or texting 988.
