Lakeside Park is about to receive $200,000 worth of improvements thanks to a private donation and a contribution from the Lakeview Downtown Development Authority. Lakeside Park, located on the banks of the Tamarack Lake, will see a host of proposed improvements, including a new fishing and boat pier, parking enhancements and a professional amphitheater to host the annual Music in the Park series. There will also be upgrades to park lighting and walkways so that the entire park will be handicap accessible, including the new pier.

Lakeview Community Schools Superintendent Kyle Hamlin will act as negotiator for the district with the architectural firm and contractors chosen to work on upcoming school improvement projects. At Monday evening’s school board meeting, board members voted to give Hamlin the power to act on the school system’s behalf, provided the architectural firm’s bids come in at 5.95 percent or less of the projects’ total budget. The improvements are the result of a narrowly passed millage increase approved by voters in February. That millage allows Lakeview Community Schools to borrow up to $12.25 million against the bond.

Retirements in the Montcalm County Clerk’s Office and Sheriff’s Office are likely leading to promotions and new hires.

If she had been born 20 years earlier, Alexis Justice’s life, at age 7 would be nearly half over. As it is, the charming Lakeview Elementary School second-grader, who wants to grow up to be the next Taylor Swift, may live long enough to celebrate her 35th birthday, maybe her 40th.

Todd Wells of Stanton makes a living as a local disc jockey, playing music at numerous parties and weddings throughout the year. One might wonder then, why his favorite gig year after year is one where he blasts his music at full volume for an audience of students who can’t hear a single note or lyric. Enter Friday’s annual Deaf Pride Games at Montcalm Community College, where Wells set up his equipment and cranked the volume to levels that shook the college.

Really? Earn a tuition-free college degree while in high school? This tagline has been used in advertisements for the new Early College at Montcalm Community College that have been sent around the county, but what is an early college? This unique educational program is designed to fully immerse high school-aged students into the post-secondary learning environment. The institution expects high achievement and realistic planning from all students. It is designed so that students cannot finish the program without completing the coursework of their Educational Development Plan.

Drug Free Montcalm has seen an increase in success during yearly tobacco checks throughout the county. During the month of April, 71 stores that sell tobacco in Montcalm County received compliance check to determine if the store would sell tobacco to minors.

Imagine a school that operates almost entirely without tuition or tax dollars, one that is self sufficient. That’s a scenario likely to remain imaginary, unfortunately, but Dave Albert’s Lakeview High School shop class comes close.

It’s not yet official that Lakeview High School’s ACT scores are the best in the county, but it’s looking likely. According to High School Principal Gary Jensen, recent test results are more than encouraging. The ACT test — a college readiness exam administered to high school students nationwide — showed impressive improvement for Lakeview’s junior class, which will be graduating in 2014. Test scores for current students graduating in 2015, 2016 and 2017 also have gone up since 2010.

When Tabitha Schaub put on her backpack for the very first time, she did so like everyone else, full of wonder, excitement, fear and every other emotion that goes through a young child’s mind as they take their first steps into the world of education. The 16-year-old junior from Lakeview High School made friends, learned from teachers, played on the playground and eventually made her way to where she is now as she prepares to enter the world of adulthood.