Board Announces Annual Award Recipients
The Board of Education annually recognizes alumni and community through its Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Young Alumni and Community Spirit awards. This year's honorees are Cindy Greene, Distinguished Alumni Award; Marie Rose, Outstanding Young Alumni Award; and Dr. Margaret Lincoln, Community Spirit Award.
The 2023 award recipients, along with the 2022 honorees, will participate in the Homecoming parade and be recognized prior to the football game. The 2022 honorees were announced last spring and are Dr. Seetharam Chadalavada, Class of 2000, and Emirrora Austin, Class of 2011.
Cindy Green '76
2023 Distinguished Alumni Award
Cindy is a proud, active, and accomplished member of the Class of 1976. She is known throughout the communities of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek for her energetic passion for children and, by extension, their families and communities. You can find her any night of the week or weekend at a school or community event, spreading unending positive energy and goodwill.
After graduating from Lakeview High School, Cindy earned her Bachelor of Science in Special Education at Western Michigan University and completed her Master’s in Special Education.
She began her career as an adult education teacher before serving as a special education teacher and general education teacher. She later transitioned to administrative roles, serving as special education supervisor, special education director, assistant superintendent for student services, and assistant superintendent for teaching and learning services, where she oversaw curriculum, instruction, assessments, professional development, principals, and academic support for children and staff.
Cindy served the students and community of Kalamazoo Public School as an educator for 41 years, retiring in 2021. She is described as a tireless advocate of children and public education who approaches every role with equal dedication and hard work.
Following her retirement from Kalamazoo Public Schools, Cindy served as the Interim Superintendent at Lakeview School District from November 2021 to June 2022. During her time in Lakeview, Cindy was instrumental in celebrating the district’s Centennial, planning and executing the bond project, and completing the superintendent search.
She then served in the same capacity for Kalamazoo Public Schools from December 2022 to June 2023.
Cindy enjoyed a career highlighted by exceptional leadership and compassion, impacting students across the spectrum of academic achievement and establishing a higher standard of professional excellence for educators.
Throughout her career, she has been quick to earn the respect of those she serves and has touched the lives of countless staff and students through her focus on excellence, school and community pride, collaboration, and by modeling for others the value of recognizing and celebrating the diversity of people, cultures, experiences, and ideas represented in our schools.
Cindy is a true champion for children.
Marie Rose '11
2023 Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Marie Rose graduated from Lakeview High School in 2011. During her time at Lakeview, she was a member of the swim team, the National Honor Society and was the Vice President of her class. She also volunteered often as part of a teen peer education program with Planned Parenthood.
After graduating high school, she pursued her education at Michigan State University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, with a minor in Women & Gender Studies and a specialization in LGBTQ & Sexuality Studies. During her time in college, she interned in Washington, D.C., at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and completed a fellowship with Planned Parenthood Global, which allowed her the opportunity to travel to New York City and participate in a conference at the United Nations. She also worked as an organizer for a conservation non-profit focused on protecting wild salmon from the impacts of large-scale mining operations.
Her work in salmon conservation inspired her to spend a season working directly in the commercial fishing industry on a female-run fish-buying scow. This is where she met her business partners, who together founded Shoreline Wild Salmon, an Alaskan seafood company focused on distributing sustainably harvested wild Alaskan salmon. Today, Shoreline supplies grocery stores and restaurants throughout the midwest and ships Alaska salmon and seafood direct-to-door to consumers across the country.
Dr. Margaret Lincoln
2023 Community Spirit Award
Dr. Margaret “Gigi” Lincoln served Lakeview School District students, staff, the Board of Education, and the greater community as the district librarian for 50 years and the Lakeview High School National Honor Society Advisor for 48 years.
Gigi modeled a commitment to lifelong learning by pursuing degrees, professional certifications, and advanced coursework at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Columbia University, Syracuse University, Arizona State University, and University of North Texas.
She served on the Governor's Educator Advisory Council, as a board member for the Art Center of Battle Creek and the Lakeview Schools Education Foundation, and as a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Mandel Teacher Fellow.
Gigi remained on the forefront of using technology as an instructional tool by connecting students and educators across the United States and the world through various educational forums and resources, thereby earning multiple individual honors and recognitions for the Lakeview High School media center.
Gigi promoted a vision of equity and collaboration by nurturing community partnerships through hundreds of guest speakers and exhibits, including a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum traveling exhibit visited by over 6,000 Battle Creek area students.
LHS government and history teacher Leah Sleight described her. "Dr. Lincoln has devoted her career to sharing untold stories of bravery, seeking justice by providing evidence and speaking truth to power. She has dedicated her life to the cause of educating Spartans so they can not only graduate from high school but become a powerful force for good in the world."
Among her numerous accolades, Gigi earned the National Honor Society Rynearson Adviser of the Year Award and the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
