Abraham Lincoln High School (San Diego)
Encyclopedia
Abraham Lincoln High School (also known as Lincoln High Educational Complex, Lincoln High School, or simply Lincoln), is an urban public high school in San Diego, California
. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District
. It serves approximately 2100-2700 students in grades 9-12 in the American K-12
education system. It is located in the Lincoln Park
neighborhood of Southeast
San Diego, part of the Encanto neighborhoods. It was named after President Abraham Lincoln
.
Opened in 1949 and originally serving middle school students, Lincoln was converted into a high school in 1955. The original buildings were demolished and rebuilt during 2003-2007. The school has produced several nationally recognized popular sports figures.
Lincoln High School is currently divided into four small academies. The centers' themes were the result of a 2005 parent survey.
In particular, the Center for Social Justice is educating San Diego's increasing activist culture. On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 a coalition of Lincoln High School along with Mission Bay High School, and several other schools including UC San Diego
and San Diego State University
sent hundreds of students, parents and teachers into the streets in support of banning weapons training in San Diego schools. The movement is reminiscent of the 1969/1970 Lincoln Walkouts which lasted for 10 days and resulted in the district's first Black principal.
approved by its citizens. During construction many students were displaced and relocated to other high schools in the District
. The campus expanded with additional acquisition of property through eminent domain
.
Before demolition, the campus had been infamous for its gang activity, particularly when graduating senior Willie James Jones Jr. was gunned down in 1994, just days before he was to matriculate to the prestigious Cornell University
, hitting headlines and sparking outrage all over the San Diego media. The school also had been criticized for being behind academically, and there remained some skepticism in the community about Lincoln's reopening over those criticisms. Soon after Jones's death, Pastor Roy Dixon was told by the principal that "kids entered Lincoln with extremely low reading levels and could not perform academically."
Lincoln High School was reopened on September 4, 2007. The new 24 acres (97,124.6 m²) campus was designed by architect and Lincoln alum, Joseph Martinez (class of 1966), and rebuilt by many Lincoln alumni who took part in construction of the school. At a cost of $129 million, Lincoln is currently the most expensive campus in the San Diego Unified School District
.
In its newly rebuilt form, Lincoln now features major improvements such as an increased student enrollment capacity of 2,700 (from an average of 800 students during Lincoln's last few years before demolition), a 790-seat performing arts center, a football and track stadium that can seat 3,700, and other extra facilities for press and concessions. The improvements addressed concerns over Lincoln's previously dilapidated and outdated facilities, proper allocation of rooms per grade enrollment, and the increasing high school enrollment pressures of the neighborhood, in addition to public input and suggestions given by members of the Lincoln community. The site also features modern, state-of-the-art building design and facilities specialized to the curriculum.
In addition, a systemic structure was to create a Response to Intervention (RTI) model of instructional support, with counselor positions dedicated to identifying and supporting at-risk students, primarily 9th- and 10th graders. In developing curriculum, the teaching staff put special attention to data-driven instruction and culturally responsive content, with a heavy emphasis on teacher professional development. Each content area teacher attends monthly PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings, a Center-specific meeting, and there is a minimum day each month meant to examine diagnostic and formative assessment data in course-alike groups in order to guide, target, and enhance instructional practices.
Lincoln's fledgling academic program grew from 5 AP (Advanced Placement) class offerings in 2007 to 18 different AP offerings in 2010, including AP Environmental Science, AP Language and AP Literature, AP Calculus and AP Music. Additionally, Lincoln offers a broad range of support and academic enrichment for students:
In 2010, Lincoln High clinched the California State Championship in Division II boy's basketball (Division II).
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
. It serves approximately 2100-2700 students in grades 9-12 in the American K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
education system. It is located in the Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park, San Diego
Lincoln Park is a community in the southeastern section of San Diego, California. It is bordered by Chollas View and the San Diego Trolley on the north, Mountain View and Interstate 805 on the west, Valencia Park and Euclid Avenue on the east, and National City, California on the south...
neighborhood of Southeast
Southeast San Diego
Southeast San Diego is the southeastern portion of the City of San Diego, generally represented by the urban neighborhoods directly east of Downtown San Diego, bordered by Interstate 5 and south of the Martin Luther King Jr...
San Diego, part of the Encanto neighborhoods. It was named after President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Opened in 1949 and originally serving middle school students, Lincoln was converted into a high school in 1955. The original buildings were demolished and rebuilt during 2003-2007. The school has produced several nationally recognized popular sports figures.
Lincoln High School is currently divided into four small academies. The centers' themes were the result of a 2005 parent survey.
- Lincoln Center for Social Justice
- Lincoln Center for the Arts
- Lincoln Center for Science and Engineering
- Lincoln Center for Public Safety
In particular, the Center for Social Justice is educating San Diego's increasing activist culture. On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 a coalition of Lincoln High School along with Mission Bay High School, and several other schools including UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
and San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
sent hundreds of students, parents and teachers into the streets in support of banning weapons training in San Diego schools. The movement is reminiscent of the 1969/1970 Lincoln Walkouts which lasted for 10 days and resulted in the district's first Black principal.
Construction of facilities in the 2000's
Expansion of the school was done on existing facilities until 2003. On September 24, 2003, Lincoln's cafeteria was the first building to be demolished. The entire campus (with the exception of the gym) and a few homes nearby would eventually be razed to make way for construction of the new campus. This was a result of an elected ballot propositionReferendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
approved by its citizens. During construction many students were displaced and relocated to other high schools in the District
San Diego City Schools
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
. The campus expanded with additional acquisition of property through eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
.
Before demolition, the campus had been infamous for its gang activity, particularly when graduating senior Willie James Jones Jr. was gunned down in 1994, just days before he was to matriculate to the prestigious Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, hitting headlines and sparking outrage all over the San Diego media. The school also had been criticized for being behind academically, and there remained some skepticism in the community about Lincoln's reopening over those criticisms. Soon after Jones's death, Pastor Roy Dixon was told by the principal that "kids entered Lincoln with extremely low reading levels and could not perform academically."
Lincoln High School was reopened on September 4, 2007. The new 24 acres (97,124.6 m²) campus was designed by architect and Lincoln alum, Joseph Martinez (class of 1966), and rebuilt by many Lincoln alumni who took part in construction of the school. At a cost of $129 million, Lincoln is currently the most expensive campus in the San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
.
In its newly rebuilt form, Lincoln now features major improvements such as an increased student enrollment capacity of 2,700 (from an average of 800 students during Lincoln's last few years before demolition), a 790-seat performing arts center, a football and track stadium that can seat 3,700, and other extra facilities for press and concessions. The improvements addressed concerns over Lincoln's previously dilapidated and outdated facilities, proper allocation of rooms per grade enrollment, and the increasing high school enrollment pressures of the neighborhood, in addition to public input and suggestions given by members of the Lincoln community. The site also features modern, state-of-the-art building design and facilities specialized to the curriculum.
Academic Program
The Lincoln-Gompers Redevelopment Committee noted the paramount importance of holding Lincoln's students, often from groups historically under-served by the public education system, to high expectations within a rigorous, standards-based curriculum framework. Upon Lincoln's re-opening, all students were required to fulfill the "A-G" subject area requirements for admission to the University of California, two years before San Diego Unified codified an "A-G for all" policy under then-superintendent, Terry Grier. Due in part to the uneven diaspora of its middle school students to charters and bussing to schools north of the I-8, Lincoln was privately criticized within the district for being "too ambitious" in its academic aspirations in 2007, because data indicated many incoming first-year students to Lincoln were often under-prepared in comparison to their grade-level peers in key academic disciplines such as English and Math. The rationale was that the "A-G" requirement (the mandatory number and scope of college-prep classes), thrust upon students unused to such daunting expectations, would lead to grade inflation or lowered standards of instruction in college-prep classes in order to avoid massive amounts of "D's" and "F's". As such, early on Lincoln High earned a reputation among parents and students for the difficultly of its core content area classes, particularly among students used to straight-A's in middle school. The high expectations are most pronounced in Lincoln's Advanced Placement program, as well as in its AP-preparatory 9th and 10th grade Math, Science, and English courses; there are a correspondingly high number of "D's" and "F's", mostly among first-semester 9th grade and 10th grade transfer students unused to such demands. Incoming Lincoln students can expect homework 3-5 nights a week in each of these core classes and an attendance rate of 95% in order to be successful. Lincoln partly addresses parental and student concerns over student sustainability in the staff recruiting parameters, which emphasize a commitment to supporting students to meet high but attainable academic goals. Furthermore,- 97% of the teachers at Lincoln are rated "highly qualified" under NCLB for their licensed subject area.
- Over 80% have either Master's, PhD or EdD.
- The average classroom experience of a Lincoln teacher is 10.1 years.
In addition, a systemic structure was to create a Response to Intervention (RTI) model of instructional support, with counselor positions dedicated to identifying and supporting at-risk students, primarily 9th- and 10th graders. In developing curriculum, the teaching staff put special attention to data-driven instruction and culturally responsive content, with a heavy emphasis on teacher professional development. Each content area teacher attends monthly PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings, a Center-specific meeting, and there is a minimum day each month meant to examine diagnostic and formative assessment data in course-alike groups in order to guide, target, and enhance instructional practices.
Lincoln's fledgling academic program grew from 5 AP (Advanced Placement) class offerings in 2007 to 18 different AP offerings in 2010, including AP Environmental Science, AP Language and AP Literature, AP Calculus and AP Music. Additionally, Lincoln offers a broad range of support and academic enrichment for students:
- A community partnership with the Old Globe, San Diego's prestigious regional theater, which has performed several full-scale productions at the Lincoln Performing Arts Center, including Welcome to Arroyo's and Mo'olelo Performing Arts company, a nationally recognized theatre company "uncover[s] and research[es] stories within different communities and bring them to life on stage, using all the artistic and technical elements of the performing arts."
- Lincoln High partners (along with charter Gompers Preparatory Academy and The Preuss School) with the University of California, San Diego, a world-renown public research university. The partnership school concept is specifically designed to connect UCSD students and resources with first-generation collegiate applicants, at-risk, and minority students in Southeast San Diego.
- Resource teachers tasked in support of teachers and students in each of the following content areas: English Language Arts, Math/Technology, Science, and History, in addition to an English-Language Learner Resource Teacher.
- Gear-Up, a "discretionary grant program [designed] to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education."
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.
- JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps)
- Campus-wide implementation of SpringBoard, the CollegeBoard's official Pre-AP English Language Arts curriculum
- Heterogenous classes (i.e. no Honors or remedial sections) unless a student is enrolled in ESL or AP classes. The rationale behind inclusive, mixed-ability classrooms was that minority students were historically often "tracked" into less-demanding classes when their school perceived that they lacked academic or linguistic preparation, further exacerbating the "achievement gap"-- aka the learning "opportunity gap"-- between Black and Latino and White and Asian students. To combat this systemic inequity, Lincoln's instructional philosophy is based, in part, on "differentiation," the idea that all students benefit within a classroom where there are a range of proficiencies represented, as long as a skilled teacher modifies instruction based on content, process, or product in response to the students' learning readiness, interest, and learning profile.
- A New Arrival Center in the 600 building, for students brand-new to the country (i.e. < 12 months). Lincoln is one of only three school in SDUSD to host a New Arrival Center. Many of these students, such as refugees from Somalia and Southwest Asia, have never experienced education a formal school setting, and benefit from the mutual acculturation with other immigrant students, as well as learning English together. Student spend four periods a day with a specially trained teacher, learning basic skills and knowledge necessary for success in American society, and can take P.E. and one elective course within a mainstream classroom. Students are exited into mainstream classroom as soon as they pass the CELDT (California English Language Development Test) and they are determined to be sufficiently acclimated to the school culture in order to be successful in mainstream classes.
- National Board Certified teachers in Physical Education (1), Generalist (New Arrival Center) (1), and English Language Arts(1).
- A robust Arts small school program, including theatre, dance, choral music, instrumental music,band, and multimedia classes. 9th grade students entering Center for the Arts enroll in an Intro to Arts "wheel" course unique to San Diego Unified, where students rotate within 6-week preparatory courses in Choral Music, Visual Media, and Theatre/Drama for one 18-week semester. 9th grade Arts students then select an Arts "focus" and immediately enroll in intermediate and, after their first year, advanced courses. Introduction to Arts courses are meant to pique students' interest, but to also introduce the rigor of a specific artistic discipline; for example, 9th grade Intro to Drama students are expected to develop, write, rehearse and deliver a live performance of at least two original monologues within a ten-day period.
- Voices of Lincoln, the school's fully online newspaper, can be accessed at voicesoflincoln.com
Demographics
Lincoln High School is located in Lincoln Park, a historically working-class, African-American neighborhood in Southeast San Diego. Beginning in the late 1990s and accelerating in the early 2000s up until its closure in 2002, Lincoln High's demographics began to shift as Latino, Vietnamese, Samoan, Filipino, Laotian and other ethnic groups moved in, attracted by residential and business redevelopment, competitive home and rental pricing, close proximity to transportation hubs such as the Market Street Trolley Station, and quick access to the I-805 and CA-94. When Lincoln reopened in 2007, for the first time Latino students were the majority, reflecting the change in the demographics of the neighborhood but also coinciding, a year later, with the severe economic downturn of 2008, which contributed significantly to student mobility. The student population has since stabilized at approximately 2100 students. As of the 2009 school year, the student body was composed of approximately 35% African-American,55% Hispanic or Latino and 10% other groups. Despite shifts in racial, residential, and income demographics since its reopening, over 85% of Lincoln High's students still qualify for free- and reduced-lunch programs.Academic Performance
Since 2007, Lincoln students have achieved double-digit gains on state test score every year, with the largest increase coming in the 2008-09 school year. Starting with a baseline score of 540 in 2007-8 school year (the first year of testing), Lincoln students were expected by the State of California to gain only 13 points on the California Standards Test (CST) in the 2008-09 school year; instead students gained 47 points, to push the API (Academic Performance Index) growth score to 587. Despite these gains, in 2010 Lincoln was unable to avoid falling into Program Improvement under the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) federal legislation guidelines because it failed to meet mandated proficiency targets with student subgroups two years in a row, notably English Language Learners (ELL's). According to NCLB, 100% percent of students will be proficient in English and Math by 2014. As of the end of 2011, Lincoln's API has grown to a current score of 617, a growth of 77 points in 4 years.Notable Sports Achievements
Lincoln High has also produced the second most NFL players in the entire nation. In December 2010, Lincoln High's football team returned to the Division III finals in Qualcomm stadium, losing to perennial power Cathedral Catholic 24-7, but a significant milestone for a program only four years old.In 2010, Lincoln High clinched the California State Championship in Division II boy's basketball (Division II).
Football
- Damon AllenDamon AllenDamon Allen is a former professional quarterback in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal...
, American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... - Marcus AllenMarcus AllenMarcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
, American football, Class of 1978 - Terrell DavisTerrell DavisTerrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...
, American football, Class of 1990 - Dave GraysonDave GraysonDavid Lee Grayson is a former American football defensive back in the American Football League and the National Football League .-College career:...
, AFLAmerican Football LeagueThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
all time interceptions leader - David GraysonDavid Grayson (American football)David Lee Grayson, Jr. is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for five seasons for the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers. Grayson played college football at Fresno State and prepped at Lincoln High in Southeast San Diego....
, NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player, Class of 1992 - Jimmy GunnJimmy GunnJimmy Gunn is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Professional career:Gunn played for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 1970 and 1976....
, American football - Wally HenryWally HenryWallace Henry is a former professional American football wide receiver.-NFL career:Henry played in the National Football League for six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles...
, American football - Dave LewisDave Lewis (American football player)David Rodney Lewis is a retired National Football League linebacker.-High school career:Prior to that he played at San Diego City College and Abraham Lincoln High School where Marcus Allen, Akili Smith and Terrell Davis have since played.-College career:Lewis played college football at the...
, American football - Saladin MartinSaladin Martinhttp://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARTISAL01Saladin Martin http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARTISAL01Saladin Martin http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARTISAL01Saladin Martin (born January 17, 1956 in San Diego,...
, American football - Doug ReedDoug ReedDouglas Reed was an American football defensive end who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams...
, American football - Akili SmithAkili SmithKabisa Akili Maradufu Smith is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind Tim Couch , and Donovan McNabb...
, American football - Dwayne WrightDwayne Wright-Buffalo Bills:Wright was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was signed to a contract on July 25. He was waived on August 30, 2008.He worked out for the Detroit Lions on September 17, but was not signed.-New York Giants:...
, American football
Wrestling
- Willie James Jones Jr., WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, Class of 1994, died in 1994 drive-by shooting before receiving a wrestling scholarship from Cornell University.
Academia
- Dr. Edward James William Jr, Ph.D, Electrical Engineer, Class of 1995, served as National Executive Officer in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
External links
- 2009 Education not Arms No Weapons Training Victory *http://www.10news.com/video/18687674/index.html
- 1969 Lincoln Walkout Delivers First Black SD Principal Victory *http://www.sandi.net/events/150years/60s.html
- Lincoln High School web site
- Artist Rendition of Rebuilt Lincoln High School
- San Diego Union-Tribune Special Feature on Lincoln High School