Centennial Celebration showcased district history, student and alumni talent
Hundreds of Lakeview School District alumni, retired and current staff, students, families, and community members came together on Saturday, May 7, 2022, to celebrate the district’s centennial anniversary.
The district opened its doors on September 19, 1921, in the former Highland School, where a fitness center now sits on the corner of Columbia and Highland Avenues. One hundred years and some months later, former students and staff joined current school community members to relive memories from the last century. Memories were shared, alumni were celebrated, students were highlighted, and fun was had during the four-hour event at Lakeview Middle School.
The day's festivities started with the recognition of Lakeview distinguished alumni award recipients Rick Jones ‘70, Martha Thawnghmung ‘89, and Tha Par ‘09, along with community leader Talia Champlin who was honored with a community spirit award.
Lakeview’s varsity cheer team, Loudhead Brass Band and Spartanaires set the stage for the celebratory atmosphere with performances of the high school fight song and alma mater. Guests were greeted by none other than Lakeview mascot Sparty himself, donned by Chris Newburn, Class of 2022, who enjoyed hugs, high fives and numerous photo opportunities.
Board of Education President Eric Greene, Vice President Kathleen Moore ‘79, Interim Superintendent Cindy Green ‘76 and incoming Superintendent Dr. William Patterson each shared remarks while Naszear Thomas, Class of 2023, emceed. Mayor Mark Behnke presented an official proclamation commemorating the momentous occasion.
Following the opening ceremony, attendees enjoyed reminiscing about their time at Lakeview while browsing through the district’s historical archives. Dating back to the early 1920’s, the archives include memorabilia, news articles, yearbooks, photographs and more.
Guests also had the opportunity to view videos of alumni interviews and yearbook highlights from as early as 1925. The video and corresponding interviews, put together by retired Lakeview educator Al Mumford ‘54, Lakeview High School (LHS) instructional coach Scott Durham ‘89 and teacher Jodi Darland, paid tribute to Lakeview educators past and present who have inspired and impacted students' lives over the last century.
Attendees also enjoyed displays of student artwork and interactions with the LHS Multicultural Club and Black Student Union. The LHS robotics team was on hand with their student engineered robots Heavy Metal and 007/11. Two of the district’s four therapy dogs - Prairieview’s Ohanna and Riverside’s Lucy - eagerly welcomed guests.
A highlight of the afternoon was the performance showcase starring current students and alumni.
Emcees Kalvin Frank, Class of 2024, Naszear Thomas and Cami Evangelista, Class of 2023, entertained the audience with district trivia, centennial t-shirt giveaways and introductions of the talented and treasured alumni and current student and staff performers.
The Spartanaires, Loudhead Brass Band and the Lakeview Middle School Spartan Singers brought back fond memories for many. Students from the LHS Burmese and Multicultural Clubs gave a special performance of a traditional bamboo dance while the LHS dance team and student dance group Crush kept the energy high.
Several alumni, who started on the stages of Lakeview and are now enjoying careers as professional performers, donated time and talent to make the celebration a success.
LHS Junior Ada LeAnn, Michigan’s representative and semifinalist for NBC’s American Song Contest, performed two of her original songs, “Natalie” and “January.”
Sisters Altamiece Carolyn Cooper ‘99 and Alexis Ballard ‘05 combined their vocal talents with their mother and much loved Lakeview educator Carolyn Ballard to bring the crowd to their feet. Altamiece, a professional actor, has captured the hearts of audiences across the country.
Frankie Ballard ‘01 is no stranger to giving back to his hometown and has returned many times throughout his successful country music career to the delight of former teachers, family and friends. Ballard spent many hours in the week leading up to the event visiting and practicing with the LHS guitar class in preparation for the showcase. The guitar class, led by student musicians Vinny Rose, Class of 2022, and Zach Piercy and Ryan Douville, Class of 2023, took the stage with Frankie for a performance of “Ring of Fire.”
Frankie, who has released four albums and charted eight Hot Country singles, performed his number one singles “Sunshine & Whiskey” and “Young & Crazy.” Ben Lau ‘01, Sean McMillan ‘97, Landon Black ‘20, Scott Durham ‘89, Altamience Carolyn Cooper ‘99 and LHS school counselor Lukas Pederson also joined Frankie on stage for fan favorites “Little Pink Houses” “Hold Your Hand” and “I’m a Believer”.
Critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Nick Davio ‘99 led the finale with his original centennial ballad, “We are Lakeview” inspired by the historical essay written to commemorate the milestone anniversary by Tom Dunton ‘60.
The celebration ended with an evening performance by Lakeview Middle School theater program Masque’s production of Trapped.
- The complete 2022 LAKEVIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT CENTENNIAL, BATTLE CREEK MICH video is at https://tinyurl.com/
LakeviewCentennial
- A compilation of all BC Shopper articles about the Centennial (4/21/22, 4/28/22 & 5/26/22) is at https://tinyurl.com/
BCShopperCentennial2022
- A handout for accessing digitized past Yearbooks at Willard Library is at https://tinyurl.com/
SearchLHSLogs
- Yearbook photos are at https://tinyurl.com/
LHSCentennialPhotos