Congratulations to the Lady Lions basketball coach, Ken Huffman, for being named the Girls Basketball State Coach of the Year after the girls won the state championship for a second year.
In addition, Kyari Burch, Emyrie Combs, Taliah Gaither, Dynesty Putman, and Tayden Ware were named to the All-State Basketball Team.
I have truly enjoyed the change of weather lately, and I can’t believe we are already in March. I find myself reflecting on the delightful changes that come with the arrival of spring. The days are growing longer, and the warming temperatures bring a sense of renewal and optimism.
I want to extend a huge congratulations to Coach Ken Huffman and our Lady Lions for successfully defending their state title in the GIAA-AAA basketball championship. This is a moment of immense pride for our school community, and we will celebrate with a parade tomorrow (March 7) at 10 a.m. Additionally, I congratulate Coach Benjie Wood and our boys’ basketball team for reaching the Final Four two years in a row. It has truly been a remarkable season, and we are all proud of their achievements!
As we prepare for tonight’s opening night of our spring musical, "All Shook Up", I am filled with anticipation. I am deeply grateful to the talented students and dedicated directors for their hard work and skills, which will be fully displayed during each performance. I am eager to see the unique interpretation this group of thespians will bring to the stage at the Brenau Downtown Theater.
I am thrilled to invite everyone to the Lakeview Auction, our annual fundraiser, at the Ramsey Center on March 15th! This event promises to be an unforgettable evening filled with exciting activities, fantastic auctions, and the wonderful company of our Lakeview family. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to DeAnna Browne for her outstanding leadership and to our dedicated auction chairs—Maggie Griffin, Ashley McGraw, Staci Vinton, and Addie Wilheit—for their hard work in making this event possible. Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have an incredible lineup of items to make this auction one for the books. Your participation not only guarantees a fun evening but also helps support our school's programs and initiatives. Join us for a night of entertainment and excitement—you won’t want to miss it! I can't wait to see everyone there and share in this amazing experience together!
Finally, we will be making some security changes starting March 17th. We understand the importance of safety for our students and are committed to providing a secure learning environment. We will implement a new safety platform, CENTEGIX, and feel strongly that it will increase safety measures for our students and allow us to continue enjoying our open campus. We are installing a gate at the security booth along the campus entrance, and visitors will be checked in using their driver’s licenses. This comprehensive but quick process verifies their identity and screens their background. In addition, all employees will begin wearing a lanyard anytime they are around children. This lanyard is a wearable panic button so staff can quickly and discreetly request help at their exact location. These security measures were made possible by the incredible donors of the Lakeview Academy. Look for a separate email next week which will provide more information as we roll out the new platform. I appreciate your patience and commitment to our students’ safety as we learn and grow with these new security measures.
I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to every one of you for your unwavering support and active participation in our school’s activities. Your involvement makes our community so special, and I look forward to enjoying the spring weather with you as we approach the much-anticipated spring break.
During last week's baseball game against Lanier Christian, athletic director and varsity baseball coach Deuce Roark achieved his 300th win. "300 wins means a lot to me because it comes with a vast amount of good players, good people, and a lot of help," Coach Roark shared. "It's loaded with fine memories and a lot of faces from my 26 years as a head baseball coach."
Coach Roark's unwavering dedication to developing young talent and fostering a positive team culture has brought success on the field and has also created lifelong memories for his players. This victory not only marks a significant achievement in his coaching career but also inspires the next generation to embrace their passion for the game.
At Columbus State University, Lakeview's girls varsity basketball team defended their GIAA-AAA state championship in the finals, beating John Milledge Academy 70-29 for a second-straight state title! Dynesty Putman led in scores with 17 points and added 8 rebounds; Taliah Gaither had 13 points, 3 steals and a block; Emyrie Combs had 9 points, 7 assists; Taylor Clark had 9 points, 3 steals; A.C. Mitchell had 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers; and Jadeah Marshall had 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots.
Lakeview's boys and girls basketball teams won their Elite 8 games over the weekend. The Lady Lions beat Pinewood Christian 65-37 on Friday night, and the Lions won against Westminster Christian 75-39 on Saturday.
Both teams advance to the Final Four on Wednesday, February 26, at Columbus State University. The boys (#3) play against St. Andrews (#2) at 4:30 pm, and the girls (#1) play Frederica (#4) at 6 pm. GO LIONS!
Nine members of the middle school orchestra, including two fifth-grade players, participated in the GMEA District 14 Honor Orchestra Concert at Clarke Central High School in Athens this weekend, concluding with a concert. This District Honor Orchestra is an annual event with selected orchestra players from six schools. Lakeview students have daily orchestra instruction (outside of class time). They had only six hours before the concert to learn the music before performing it. Musicians who performed included: Amelia Bostwick, Elli Day, Bennett Fields, Hadley Gilbert, Carter Gottsman, Bre Johnson, Brody Lindler, Sienna Triggs, and Lucy Walton.
Lakeview Academy again clinched the GISA Region 1-AAA Literary championship. It was the school's third consecutive win, and it has won it 18 times since 2002 in GHSA.
Oral Interp (Humorous): 1st Place- Abigail Baker Oral Interp (Duo): 1st Place- Anabelle Baxter, Parker White Solo (Treble): 1st Place- Abigail Baker Solo (Lower): 1st Place- Case Beverly Trio: 1st Place- Abigail Baker, Zoe Castillo, Abby McMahan Quartet:1st Place- Case Beverly, Zoe Castillo, T Light, Abby McMahan Essay (Argumentative): Runner Up- Parker White Oral Interp (Dramatic): Runner Up- Bella Caplan
Region championship team who all contributed to the overall winning score: Abigail Baker, Hannah Baker, Baxter, Case Beverly, Bella Caplan, Zoe Castillo, Hannah Cobb, T Light, Abby McMahan, Jackson Newton, Lorenzo Rojas- Alban, Hayden Silcox, and Parker White.
Congratulations to the entire team who will advance to the State Championship on March 18, 2025.
Lakeview Lion Tayden Ware was named the GIAA AAA/AAAA District 4 Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Tayden led his team to win the regional championship last week. He was also part of last year's boys basketball state champions team and was named to the 2023-24 GIAA Class 3-A All-State Boys Basketball Team.
Several Lions were named to the All-Region Teams, including:
Boys First Team: Kyari Burch
Girls First Team: Taliah Gaither (#20)
Boys Second Team: Jude Ellis (#22) and Justyce Sadler (#23)
Girls Second Team: Taylor Clark (#3), Dynesty Putnam (#1), and Emyrie Combs (#5)
The varsity girls' basketball coach, Ken Huffman, was named GIAA AAA/AAAA District 4 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. The Lady Lions are currently ranked #1 in Class 3A and will play in the state championship tournament beginning next week.
The varsity boys' basketball coach, Benjie Wood, was named GIAA AAA/AAAA District 4 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. The Lions are the 2024-25 region champions and will play in the state playoffs next week.
The Lakeview Lions (22-6) had their thirteenth straight win beating, Athens Christian (18-6) 68-53 to cinch the Region Championship. Lions are back-to-back Region 4 AAA/AAAA Champions!
AC 13 21 42 53
LA 24 39 52 68
Brock Graham led the Lions with 25 points including 8 3's! Tayden Ware scored 13 points Kyari Burch added 10 points.
The Lions will play in the state playoffs in Macon on Saturday, February 22, 2025. The time and opponent are TBD.
For his Digital Art, Highlighted in an Open Sea, Nathan Suo won the Gold Key Scholastic Art and Writing Awards hosted by SCAD for the Georgia region. His artwork will next be judged at the national level. In addition, he received an Honorable Mention for his Digital Art, Withering in a Box.
Lakeview Academy’s Thespian Troupe 3630 traveled to Columbus, Georgia, to attend workshops with professionals from across the nation, see amazing shows and performances, and interact with over 6,000 conference attendees.
The troupe was honored with the distinction of being a Gold Honor Troupe, the highest recognition a thespian troupe can receive.
Four students—Abby McMahan, Will Hake, Parker White, and Hayden Silcox—were selected for the elite All-State Theatre Cast and Crew. They performed in the Opening and Closing ceremonies for all 6,000+ attendees, and Abby McMahan was also featured as a soloist.
Out of the six (6) Thespy performers and tech selected for live callbacks, the troupe had four (4) Overall Superior Thespys (Solo- Abby McMahan, Solo Dance- Leyla Ozcelik, Stage Management- Hayden Silcox, and Large Group- Will Hake, Parker White, Case Beverly, Bora Ozcelik, Abby McMahan, Leyla Ozcelik, Abigail Baker, Bella Caplan, Amelia Corbin, Hannah Cobb, Anabelle Baxter, Alyssa Gay, Amanda Hartig, Lydia Abell, and Hannah Baker)
Two (2) seniors, Will Hake and Abby McMahan, auditioned for colleges nationwide and received multiple callbacks from over 20 schools.
Abby McMahan was selected as 1 of 25 students across the state for a thespian scholarship callback.
Our group performance thespy and tech thespy were chosen as one of 13 acts or tech members out of 161 entries for the final showcase. It is a tremendous honor to perform in front of an audience of over 2,500 during the Closing Ceremonies. Notably, this marks the second time in the last three years that several of Lakeview's seniors—Abigail Baker, Abby McMahan, Will Hake, and Leyla Ozcelik—were selected for the showcase. Additionally, this will be Leyla Ozcelik's third appearance at ThesCon, showcasing her talents in solo dance in 2023 and in large group performances in 2024 and 2025.
Harrison Slattery is Lakeview Academy's 2024-25 STAR Student. Harrison chose Craig Waddell, his AP Physics and AP ABBC Calculus teacher, as his STAR Teacher. The STAR program honors high school seniors with the top SAT scores in their school and the teachers they choose as having been most instrumental in their lives.
At Saturday's North Region Robotics Tournament, Lakeview's three teams earned trophies, including:
Varsity team (Team 5898 Galactic Lions Andromeda): Won the prestigious Connect Award, recognizing their community outreach and collaboration with STEM professionals. They were also a partner of the 1st Seed Alliance in the playoffs.
JV team (Team 18443 Galactic Lions Cygnus): Received the Innovate Award for their exceptional claw design.
C Team (Team 26248 Galactic Lions Draco, 8th and 9th graders): Partnered with the 3rd Seed Alliance and made an impressive run to the grand finals match, narrowly missing out on winning the entire competition.
The varsity and C teams advance to the state championship, which will be held at Riverside Preparatory in Gainesville on Saturday, February 15th.
Dynesty Putman reached a milestone in January when she scored her 1,000th point. She has been a valued member of our Lady Lions, and last year, she was a member of the GIAA Class 3A state champion team. That same year, she was also named to the All-State Team. In 2023, she was a member of the Lanierland All-Team.
In the middle of a winning season, Justyce Sadler (#23) and Eli Mayfield (#24) each scored their 1,000 career point. In 2024, Justyce was named to the GIAA Class 3A All-state Boys Basketball Team.
Tayden Ware scored his 1,000th career point during last Thursday's game against Loganville Christian. Tayden was part of last year's boys basketball state champions team and was named to the 2023-24 GIAA Class 3-A All-State Boys Basketball Team.
Lakeview has crowned its new spelling bee champion, Lorenzo Rojas-Alban (8th grade), with Ellie Day (5th grade) taking the runner-up title. Both students will represent Lakeview as they advance to Round 1 of the GISA Spelling Bee.
In addition, the classroom spelling champions who also competed in the spelling bee were Austin Chitwood and Riley Grunch (4th grade), Alex Dale (5th grade), Piper Kimsey and Kinsley Towles (6th grade), Liam Blalock and Hudson Harper (7th grade), and Evan Wallace (8th grade).
Lakeview Academy is a private, coeducational day school for students in preschool through 12th grade, located in Gainesville, GA minutes off I-985/Hwy 365.