SEATTLE – Frankie Jo Cochran was one of a few students who participated in a program designed to improve the confidence and aspirations of low and moderate income inner city eighth graders from Seattle.

The program is the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program. LEEP provides a six-week summer experience for about 90 Seattle area students each summer involving English, math and geography classes. They also go on a three-day-long overnight camping trip and participate in a crew program where the students row in eight-person shells. Frankie did so well in LEEP that she and just one other LEEP student were invited to attend Lakeside School her freshman year.

Lakeside is a non-sectarian school (not affiliated with any religion) with two campuses, one for students in fifth through eighth grades, and the bigger campus with students ninth through 12th grades; there are 777 students total.

In the last five years, more than half the senior class has been recognized in some fashion by the National Merit
Society. In fact, for the past few years, the Lakeside senior class has had SAT scores which averaged better than the average SAT scores of the freshmen class at Yale University; 99 percent of Lakeside graduates attend college.

While Frankie was a scholarship student, it cost $23,500 annually to attend the school in tuition costs alone; the total cost including all fees, food, books and transportation are estimated to be about $30,000 annually.

Lakeside is well-known because of some of its famous alumni. Some may not  remember the original Batman, Adam West, from the television series; more people know the names of more recent alums, Paul Allen and Bill Gates, co-founders of the Microsoft Company.

Frankie’s first year at Lakeside was difficult. She was smart enough, but she came from circumstances very different from most Lakeside students. Her earlier schools did not prepare her for the rigorous education of Lakeside. Frankie is part Assiniboine and a member of the White Clay People (A’AH’NI NIN) aka Gros-Ventres Tribe of Montana. Her mother and father moved their family from Montana several years ago because of the discrimination against American Indians in the area.

During Frankie Jo Cochran’s four years at Lakeside School she proposed a student-sponsored day to teach the rest of the Lakeside community about American Indians. She is seen here at the event (right). Dancing with her in red is Toresia Woods and in black is Myleaka Webster.