In response to evolving student interests and a rapidly changing academic environment, Lakeside has unveiled its new and revised course catalog. Much deliberation has gone into developing Lakeside’s new courses, including an abundance of research and outreach to professional scholars. While the spending requires an increase in student tuition, it will no doubt be crucial for Lakeside’s high-achieving student body.
With advancements in artificial intelligence, the Lakeside administration is introducing two new courses that require innovative, interdisciplinary learning, uprooting the shortcuts and bypasses that AI can provide. Administrators describe the additions as “ingenious,” “rigorous,” and “only suitable for the most high-achieving of students.” The new courses include Honors Seminar in Passive Engagement as well as Honors Calculus-Based Ordinary Phenomena.
Honors Seminar in Passive Engagement is unlike any course offered in Lakeside’s 107 years, prioritizing the meticulous skill of reflection and introspection. On a typical class day, students sit silently, pondering over the taxing hours of homework readings that the class intentionally never discusses. The class invites students to explore the academic power of doing absolutely nothing. Through silent discussions and unwritten reflections, students will hone their skills for observational inaction. The nature of this work is not only profound, but designed in a way that makes cheating impossible. The class utilizes a new grading system, one where participation is graded on stillness and passivity.
When asked about the history department’s inspiration for this course, Upper School history teacher Betsy Pingree mentioned how “students today are constantly pressured to participate, and this pressure often results in AI use. We wanted to create a rigorous space where students can learn to be quiet and break away from technology.” The history department, along with Lakeside’s administration, expects this course to reevaluate Lakeside students’ capabilities, forever altering the school’s legacy.
Honors Calculus-Based Ordinary Phenomena is expected to be a time-consuming course reserved for students who have taken the Linear Algebra prerequisite. The course will mathematically analyze everyday events, with a semester-long project to calculate the linear slope of the new railings on the Vassar Center. For the first time, Lakeside is combining rigorous courses such as Honors Calculus with real-life experiences, reinventing how the student body approaches previously unsolvable equations. Other applications include a multivariate analysis of cafeteria lines and counting every phone spotted on campus over a month. The latter incentivizes students to use their phones less, blending the Invisible Device Policy and “red light” AI initiatives with mathematical problem solving. Upper School math teacher Tod Kresser notes that Ordinary Phenomena is “the most insightful mathematics course Lakeside has yet to offer: a step away from ChatGPT and a step closer towards real learning.”
With these additions, Lakeside continues its commitment to intellectual excellence and integrity. By introducing courses grounded in real-world applications, Lakeside is redefining its approach towards education beyond school. The new courses broadcast an important message: Lakeside will no longer be complicit in the abuse of artificial intelligence. In fact, the impact is so profound that the administration expects other private and public schools will follow suit.
Due to the advanced nature of these courses, Lakeside’s teachers and administrators encourage students to review the new catalog carefully before registration. Those enrolled in Honors Seminar in Passive Engagement are reminded that participation remains strictly optional. All students are free to reach out to US Administrative Assistant Kristen Lesoing and Academic Dean Hans de Grys with any questions!
