Lakeside School District

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 disabilities on unified sports teams, promoting a sense of belonging and teamwork. Hosting multiple Special Olympic events throughout the year further reinforces the district’s dedication to an inclusive and supportive culture. Solid alliances with the broader community are also important, as Orr stresses, “The way that a school thrives is when the community is thriving. I have to talk all the time with our police chief, our fire chief, our city manager, the people at the Chamber of Commerce, our hospital leaders.” “We all have to work in this community, and we have to kind of give and take a little bit.” Noting that the district is in the tourist community of Hot Springs, which relies on student workers during the busy summer months, he remarks, “We can’t make decisions that solely impact Lakeside, and our kids, we have to think of the broader context of that because we do live in the community.” The Evolution of Lakeside School District’s Educational Approach In recent years the district has experienced a significant shift in its educational approach. Previously known for its academic focus primarily on college readiness and AP courses for academically advanced students, Lakeside has evolved to make this education accessible to a more diverse student body. “We went to more of, ‘if it’s good enough for our best, it’s good enough for the rest’. We looked at who else could be taking these classes that we’re not identifying,” Orr acknowledges. He says that as the district expanded its AP offerings, many teachers expressed interest in teaching courses beyond the traditional ones. “Whether it’s AP or whether it’s other areas, we love to see our students challenging themselves. We think that you can’t grow unless you get uncomfortable, and stretch yourself. The College Board and our AP program play a big role in that.” The adoption of Project Lead the Way, a comprehensive K-12 program, offers students an opportunity to engage in STEM curriculum starting when they enter school, all the way to biomedical, computer science, and engineering tracks at the high school level. “We start kids with STEM in kindergarten, they go to a class weekly, they do some really neat activities,” portrays Orr. “There’s one where Kindergarten students read the story of The Three Little Pigs. Then, they get various materials, and