LHS Newsletter
August 14, 2026
October 30, 2026
Principal's Message
Hello Spartan Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers,
We survived a week that started with a full moon and ended with Halloween! The end of the first trimester is frighteningly close! Please encourage your Spartan to check their grades, turn in any missing work, and begin preparing for any end of trimester exams, tests or projects! Please let us know how we can partner with you for a successful end to the trimester.
There are some really important items below this week. Please take the time to go through the entire newsletter.
Sincerely,
Cody Japinga
Calendars and Events
Friday, November 6 - No school for students, STAFF PD
Thursday, November 12 - Final Exams, Half Day - Dismissal at 10:55
Friday, November 13 - Final Exams, Half Day - Dismissal at 10:55, End of Trimester 1
Food Deliveries
Students may not have food delivery services bring them food during the school day regardless of whether they are ordering it themselves or parents are sending it to them. Our office does not have the capacity to accept deliveries for food or drinks. Please remember that all students are eligible for two free meals a day. If your student forgot their lunch, you can bring something to the office or they can get school lunch. Any deliveries to the office will be refused per the student handbook (pg 15).
What is Seminar?
Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, LHS went to a schedule that includes 1 hour on Mondays for students to attend a class called Seminar. There are several purposes to Seminar. One purpose is for students to get grade level appropriate social emotional learning. A team of teachers, counselors and administrators create lessons based on the CASEL competencies for social emotional growth. Students experience these lessons with their peers in hopes that their learning will help support their growth both academically and socially. These lessons happen approximately once a month.
Another purpose of Seminar is for students to engage in their postsecondary planning by exploring their own personal educational development plan (EDP). A student’s EDP includes looking at their own personal interests in career and postsecondary planning and engaging in strategies to achieve that plan. For their EDP, students are asked to participate in 4 activities each trimester that result in them earning a “passing mark” on their report card. These activities can be found at this link on the high school website. There are some really great questions for parents to engage in conversation with their students for many of these activities, as well.
The third purpose of Seminar is to create opportunities for students to get academic support from their teachers. Teachers can request students to their rooms to get support on assignments, make up tests, or be provided with extension activities. Students can always talk to their teachers to see if Seminar would be a good fit for them that week!
Parent Survey
Your opinion matters to us! Please take a few minutes to complete this year’s perception survey about your experiences with Lakeview High School. Thank you in advance for your time!
Multicultural Parent Network
Did you know that our district family liaisons have a Facebook page full of useful information in multiple languages? If you believe that you and your family could benefit, please give them a follow here.
Guest Speaker
This week, students were invited during Monday seminar to a Guest Speaker presentation from Thomas Walk, owner of Mental Health through Art. Thomas shared about his journey on how he uses art, spoken word, and writing to encourage mental wellness and create conversation. Students were able to hear how they could develop their own skills to create a career as an entrepreneur, artist, and mental wellness advocate, specifically for veterans. The biggest takeaway for students was to use whatever gift you have - whether that's in art, writing, sports, music, etc - to create safe spaces where you can talk and communicate with others. "We have to talk about the hard 'stuff' to be well."
Bus Drop Off Circle
As a reminder, at no time should parents be dropping students off in the bus circle behind LHS. For the safety of all students, please drop students off at any of the points out front - the drop off circle and the D lot are for parent dropoffs.
LHS Attendance Notes
To help us reduce classroom interruptions, we ask that, whenever possible, you call ahead to excuse your student for appointments so a pass can be prepared for your student. Not only can we get students ready for you to pick up in a timely manner, getting them a pass ahead of time prevents us from calling into classrooms and interrupting instruction.
If your student is sick, please encourage them to head to the attendance office to call home instead of using their cell phone. Other than being against school rules, it also makes the process more efficient by eliminating the need to have you take multiple calls.
When calling, please provide the following information:
Student’s full name and spelling
Grade level
Your relationship to the student
Reason for the absence
Thank you for helping us reduce classroom interruptions and allowing our Spartans to thrive!
Daily Schedule Information
Building Opens: 7:00am
Start Time: 7:30am
Dismissal: 2:05pm Monday, 2:35pm Tuesday - Friday
Building Closes: 2:30pm Monday, 3:00pm Tuesday - Friday (unless with direct adult supervision)
Buy a Yearbook!
SPARTAN Sport Report
Cross Country
It's championship race day in Portage for both our boys and girls teams as they clash with the region's best at the MHSAA Regional meet!
Boys Cross Country: The guys run at Portage today! For most of the team, this race wraps up an incredible season marked by tireless hard work, individual growth, and team success. Any individual and team qualifiers for the State Meet will extend their season and keep pushing through training next week.
Girls Cross Country: The girls team caps off their strong season today in Portage as well. Keep a close eye on junior Gianna Burgos, who enters the meet seeded 8th. With a top-15 finish punching an automatic ticket to the State Finals, Gianna is poised to secure her spot on the state stage!
Girls Swimming & Diving
Our aquatic Spartans have officially hit the taper phase of the season! The grueling distance work is behind them; now it's all about dialing in sharp technique, rapid race-pace sets, rest, and precision.
Our divers are putting the final touches on their catalog—polishing crisp entries, sharpening takeoffs, and perfecting every rotation to ensure maximum scores on the big stage.
Event: SMAC Championship Meet
Location: Portage Northern High School
Prelims: Friday, Nov 6 @ 11:00 AM
Finals: Saturday, Nov 7 @ 12:00 PM
Parent & Athlete Tip: Taper requires total body recovery! Make sure our swimmers and divers are prioritizing 8+ hours of sleep, clean meal choices, and constant hydration this week.
Volleyball
Our Girls Volleyball squad is ON FIRE and ready to set the home court ablaze! We have earned hosting duties for the District Tournament, giving us the ultimate home-court advantage. Pack the stands, wear your Spartan gear, and bring the noise!
District Semi-Finals: Wednesday, Nov 4 | Matches at 5:00 PM & 7:00 PM
District Championship: Thursday, Nov 5 | 6:00 PM
Location: Home Gym
Admission: $10 at the door
UPCOMING POSTSEASON & FALL DATES
Looking Ahead: Winter Sports Tryouts & Start Dates
Believe it or not, the winter sports season is right around the corner! Here are the official High School winter sport tryout and first practice dates:
SportStart / Tryout Date
Bowling (Boys & Girls)November 9th
Competitive CheerNovember 10th
Basketball (Boys)November 11th
Wrestling (CoEd)November 16th
Basketball (Girls)November 18th
Swimming & Diving (Boys)November 23rd
SEPTEMBER ATHLETES OF THE MONTH
Join us in celebrating two outstanding student-athletes who exemplified hard work, leadership, and athletic excellence throughout the month of September!
Female Athlete of the Month — Amelia Kraemer (Senior | Cross Country & Track): A true leader in our athletic program, Amelia already boasts 6 Varsity letters across Cross Country and Track. Her career highlights include earning All-City honors alongside strong podium finishes at both Regional and Conference championship meets.
Male Athlete of the Month — Jack Duval (Junior | Cross Country, Basketball, Track): Jack has been absolutely dominant on the cross country courses this fall! A multi-sport standout, Jack holds 4 Varsity letters across Cross Country, Basketball, and Track, continuing to lead the pack for the Spartans.
Student Expectations During Athletic Events
Doors will open half an hour prior to athletic events.
- No backpacks allowed
- Middle School students must be accompanied by a parent
- During the game, students must be in the stands
- After games, students will have 15 minutes to clear the facilities.
- Students are expected to be respectful and follow the rules and directions from adults who are supervising events.
Lakeview High School Information
Lakeview High School
Battle Creek, MI 49015
269-565-3700 (Phone)
269-565-3709 (Attendance Line)
269-565-3708 (Fax)
Administrative & Support Contact Information
LHS PRINCIPAL
Mr. Cody Japinga
LHS ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS
Mrs. Lindsey Keller
Mrs. Dayna Lang
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
Mr. Shawn Aimesbury
saimesbury@lakeviewspartans.org
DEAN OF STUDENTS
Mr. Rob Allison
SECRETARY TO THE PRINCIPAL
Mrs. Susan Arrowood