Inspiring a Community for More Than a Decade

by Kate Engstrom

New Lawrence Academy faculty member Camille

Lacroix was moved to poetry this winter after participating in a session with Shaun Leonardo, a Brooklyn-based multi-disciplinary artist and the 2022-2023 J. William Mees Visiting Scholar. “I rejoin community more open to seeing the light of love inside every body, the light we need to shine for the happiness, for the good of all,” she wrote.

“My time with Shaun was time well spent. I really enjoyed getting to work with an artist whose art form is very different from anything else I’ve ever tried. I think his ability to talk about power and proximity is something very unique to him and his artistic ability,” Paloma Harker ’23 commented. “When I worked with him at the beginning of January, I got the chance to know him and for him to get to know me, and I really value that experience.” As has been the case with many of these scholars, the lessons Camille and Paloma learned were not meant to be stored away, but shared and drawn upon daily in the LA community.

2012

2013

2014

Established in 2010 and named in honor of longtime former faculty member Bill Mees, the J. William Mees Visiting Scholar Program provides the means for Lawrence Academy students to learn firsthand what professionals do in their fields, how they go about their work, and what makes them successful by bringing noted professionals to campus to provide a multi-day program in whatever manner they wish. The program felt particularly poignant this year following Mr. Mees’ death in 2022.

According to the program’s steward, Associate Head of School Rob Moore, Bill’s vision was to “lift the intellectual, scholarly attitude of LA — give the students role models.” To that end, each visiting scholar spends a few days on campus working with students in classes, offering workshops for students and faculty, and making an evening presentation to the public. Rob notes that including the community was “not necessarily in the program’s charge, but we have added that component over the years, and broadening

2014 the conversations and interactions with our scholars to the greater community has made their visits even richer.”

Thanks to a year in which there were multiple visitors, LA has hosted a total of 14 scholars over 12 years. Each year, faculty are invited to nominate the individuals they think would bring an exciting and enriching set of experiences to the school community. A committee then meets in the spring to select the next scholar with a goal of balancing visitors across disciplines: art, science, history, English, world language, and mathematics.

From journalists and scientists to artists and authors, these successful experts are aspirational models of intellectual curiosity: real-world examples of what can await after graduation. “Faculty and students witness passion in practice and have a chance for hands-on experiences interacting with committed and successful professionals,” Rob remarks.

2015

2016

After playwright, composer, and actor Lin Manuel-Miranda’s visit during the 2014-2015 school year, just before the Broadway debut of his hit musical Hamilton, Head of School Dan Scheibe commented how that year’s program “exceeded expectations because what we most dream about is pure inspiration.” Shaun Leonardo continued to inspire the community this year as he encouraged students and faculty alike to “see the world they live in in a completely different way,” another aspect of the program Mr. Scheibe values highly.

As Shaun’s inspiration lingers in words of poetry and a renewed appreciation for one another among members of the community, the impact of this year’s scholar is a fitting tribute to Mr. Mees’ legacy. In a final conversation about the program with Rob, Mr. Mees shared, “The program has grown and developed and is doing what I, and all the generous donors to the fund, envisioned.” The LA community will continue to recognize and celebrate Mr. Mees’ many contributions, especially as the well-loved tradition of the Visiting Scholar Program lives on.