Abraham Lincoln High School (San Francisco)

Abraham Lincoln High School is a California Distinguished fully accredited comprehensive public high school located in the Sunset District of San Francisco, California, named after the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

History

Abraham Lincoln High School came into existence on Tuesday, August 27, 1940, accepting approximately 950 students under Lincoln's first Principal, Clyde W. White. Its opening and dedication ceremony was held on September 22, 1940.

The result of a 1938 bond measure approved by San Francisco voters to address the increasing population in the Western San Francisco area, Abraham Lincoln High School was incorporated into a modern three-story building that was completed at a cost of over $750,000 in 1940 with just 50 classrooms, a cafeteria, a football field, and a library. Additions such as the North and South Gymnasiums, the auditorium, and the bungalow expansion were completed much later.

Location

In the dead center of the Sunset District, Abraham Lincoln High School occupies the entire suburban block created by the intersections of Quintara Street & Rivera Street and 23rd Avenue & 24th Avenue. The school is also located nearby the Sunset Reservoir, which supplies the water for the entire Sunset district and occasionally serves as a rectangular, city-block track for physical education.

The San Francisco Municipal Railway operates four lines that stop near Lincoln: the 28 and 28L at Quintara Street & 19th Avenue; the 48 and 66 at Quintara Street and at Rivera Street; and the L Metro line at multiple points near Lincoln at Taraval.

The proximity of Abraham Lincoln High School to the Taraval, Noriega, and Irving business districts, as well as easy access to the rest of the City by car, allows Lincoln High School to maintain only one lunch period due to many students leaving campus. A smaller percentage of students elect to stay on school grounds for cafeteria food or to patron the nearby Lincoln Market delicatessen.

Academics and Admissions

Abraham Lincoln High School is generally considered as one of the best public high schools in San Francisco, among Lowell High School, George Washington High School, and School of the Arts (SOTA).

While Abraham Lincoln High School provides a strong academic background and solid offerings in advanced placement, honors, and college preparatory courses for students, it has been criticized for offering fewer Honors and Advanced Placement courses than other schools such as Lowell and Washington, making it a more competitive process, although AP pass rates are well above-average compared to other schools.

Abraham Lincoln High School, unlike schools such as Lowell and SOTA, has a relatively straightforward admissions policy that does not require essays or auditions, and its placement policy is administered through the San Francisco Unified School District's Diversity Index, which considers factors such as socieconomic status, academic achievement, parents' educational background, and the API score of the sending school that have been shown to correlate with academic achievement [1].

For the 2005–2006 school year, due to a more straightforward admissions process, more students applied for Lincoln High School than any other high school in the San Francisco Unified School District (73% of all applicants) for its 580 slots, compared to justs under 50% for Lowell's 740 slots.

Traditions

The school colors are red and gold, and its school mascot is the Mustang, a feral horse that embodies the attributes of hardiness, grace, speed, and independence.

The school song was written by a Lincoln graduate, Patricia Cutler Aversano, in 1943 and is called "High on a Hilltop."

High on a hilltop, 'Mid sand and sea,
Abraham Lincoln, We will honor thee forever.
Thy sons and daughters, However long the trail,
Always will remember thee, Hail! Hail! Hail!

Extracurricular and Community Work

Abraham Lincoln High School has a strong extracurricular program with over 60 clubs as well as a broad interscholastic sports program of 28 teams, from Amnesty International, Red Cross Club, the Lincs Service Society, and the Environmental Club to the Gay-Straight Alliance, Youth for Chinatown Elderly, JROTC brigades and batallians, and the Black Student Union.

One of the strongest and most anticipated extracurricular events at Lincoln is the annual Brotherhood/Sisterhood Assembly (BSA). The Brotherhood/Sisterhood Assembly is a two-hour assembly presented by a wide array of extracurricular clubs that promotes tolerance and awareness of all kinds, from cultural (Polynesian Dance Club, Middle-Eastern Club, Munocka Performing Arts, Koinonia Club, Japanese Culture Club), diversity (Gay-Straight Alliance, Peer Resources, Black Student Union), and student interests (Hip Hop Club, Break-Dancing Club, Drama Club, and Cheerleading Club, whose presentations are all always acclaimed).

Another strong and acclaimed extracurricular activity is Mayfest, an occasion when students can relax as popular music is blasted into the courtyards and a staggering amount of clubs run fundraising activities in the open courtyard, from JROTC's traditional barbecues to the less-traditional Chinese food, cultural dishes, smoothies and mixed drinks, and miscellaneous food items.

The student body at Abraham Lincoln High School generally prides itself on making generous charitable contributions and running charitable campaigns, with annual drives for organizations such as the San Francisco Food Bank and Salvation Army. The San Francisco Food Bank in 2004 recognized Lincoln High School for collecting the most food out of all San Francisco schools, and recently overshot its expectations to raise $10,000 in the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.

Student population

• 2004–2005:
  • 2590 students; M/F (57.1/ 42.9)
  • Ethnic profile:

External links

• Abraham Lincoln High School official site
• Abraham Lincoln High School PTSA
• Lincoln Alumni Association
• GreatSchools.net Profile

• The Lincoln Log, official school newspaper
• Mustang TV, provides Daily Bulletin and other information
• The Abraham Lincoln High School Xanga