School type Public school Superintendent Richard Carranza Phone +1 415-759-2700 Motto Finimus Coepturi (Latin) | Founder Clyde W. White School number 405 Mascot Mustang | |
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Established August 27, 1940 (1940-08-27) School board San Francisco Board of Education Address 2162 24th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116, USA District San Francisco Unified School District Similar Lowell High School, Balboa High School, George Washingt High Sch, Mission High School, Raoul Wallenberg Tradition | ||
Abraham Lincoln High School is a California Distinguished and fully accredited comprehensive public high school located in the Sunset District of San Francisco, California. The school is named after the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. The building is portrayed as Elmore Junior High School in the British/American cartoon show The Amazing World Of Gumball.
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History
Abraham Lincoln High School was established 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.
A 1938 bond issue, approved by San Francisco voters to address the increasing population in the Western San Francisco area, financed the incorporation of Abraham Lincoln High School with a three-story building of 50 classrooms, library, and cafeteria as well as a football field, costing over $750,000 in 1940 (adjusted for 2005 dollars, this would be over $10 million). Additions such as the North and South Gymnasiums, the auditorium, and the bungalow expansion were completed later.
The first Star Trek convention was held at Lincoln in 1975.
Location
In the center of the Sunset District, Abraham Lincoln High School occupies four blocks demarcated by the intersections of Quintara Street and Santiago Street and 22nd Avenue and 24th Avenue. The school is also located near the Sunset Reservoir, which supplies the water for the entire Sunset district and serves as a rectangular, city-block track for physical education, and directly north of McCoppin Square, the Taraval Police Station across from McCoppin Square and the Parkside branch of the San Francisco Public Library.
Muni operates five lines that stop near Lincoln: the 28 and 28R at Quintara Street and 19th Avenue; the 48 and 66 at Quintara Street and 24th Avenue; and the L Taraval line running along Taraval Street.
In December 2007, Lincoln began modernization of the existing campus for accessibility and construction of a new building to replace the 23 aged bungalow buildings which covered a large portion of the site. The bungalow replacement will result in a new 18-classroom CHPS-Designed building. CHPS stands for the Collaborative for High Performance Schools the goal of which is to facilitate in creating healthy, comfortable environments that are energy and resource efficient to provide the best possible environment for teaching and learning. Construction of the $9.25 million new building will be completed in November 2009 and students and staff will be welcomed into the 22,754 square foot new classroom building for the second half of the 2009/2010 school year.
Overview
Abraham Lincoln High School is a "westside" school along with Lowell High School and George Washington High School.
The north wing to the campus has been constructed to alleviate crowding.
Lincoln allows students to leave campus during lunch with an unrestricted open campus lunch policy.
Admissions
Abraham Lincoln High School, unlike alternative schools such as Lowell and SOTA, is a comprehensive school which does not require special applications or test or auditions for admission. As with all SFUSD schools, Lincoln's admissions policies are affected by the "diversity index", which considers factors such as socioeconomic status, academic achievement, parents' educational background, and the API score of the sending school
For the 2005–2006 school year, more students applied for Lincoln High School than any other high school in the district, making it the most competitive city public high school in terms of demand with 3,373 students, or 73% of all applicants, applying. Out of the top three most requested high schools (Lincoln, Lowell, and Washington), Lincoln was also the most competitive high school in terms of admission rate with an acceptance rate of 17.19%—in comparison, only 2,223 students (48% of all applicants) applied for Lowell's 740 slots for an admission rate of 33.28% and 3,124 students (68% of all applications) applied for Washington's 550 slots for an admission rate of 17.60%.
For the 2006–2007 school year, Lincoln was the most competitive district high school in demand with 3,430 applicants, or 74% of all applicants. Out of the top 3 most requested high schools, Lincoln was also the most competitive public high school in terms of admission rate with an acceptance rate of 17.31% compared to Lowell's 30.81% and Washington's 20.08%.
Demographics
According to US News and World Report, 95% of Lincoln's student body is "of color," with 60% of the student body coming from an economically disadvantaged household, determined by student eligibility for California's Reduced-price meal program.
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 hymn was written by a Lincoln graduate, Patricia Cutler Aversano, in 1943 and called "High on a Hilltop". The lyrics to the hymn are:
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!
Lincoln has a football tradition with Washington High School in San Francisco called the "Bell Game". It is a football game where the winning school receives the prized bell. Spirit week is an important time at Lincoln High School. It takes place the week of the "Bell Game" vs. Washington High School. Various events occurring during Spirit Week include "Battle of the Classes", Twin Day, Crazy Hair Day, Nerd Day, Polo/Hat/Tie Day, and Duct Tape/Tinfoil Day.
The school has its annual Brotherhood Sisterhood Assembly (a.k.a. BSA) which is one of the most popular events that occur annually at Lincoln High. Various clubs put on acts, dances, slide shows to show the diversity the school is made of.
Lincoln also hosts two seasonal festivals each year: Fall Fest and Spring Fest. The events are a chance for student clubs and organizations to raise money by selling food or providing entertainment. Many cultural clubs sell food that is representative of the culture.
The Turkey Day game is the city championship football game held annually on Thanksgiving.
Extracurricular and community work
Abraham Lincoln High School has a strong extracurricular program with over 150 clubs, student organizations, and interscholastic sports teams, including Amnesty International, Red Cross Club, Lincs Service Society, Environmental Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Youth for Chinatown Elderly, JROTC (Color Guard, Drum Corps, Exhibition and Flag Drill Team), Black Student Union, the Varsity Gold Show Choir, and Drama (each year they put up a fall and spring play).
One of the strongest and most anticipated extracurricular events at Lincoln is the annual Brotherhood/Sisterhood Assembly (BSA), which began as an opportunity to understand other cultures after a near fatal school-related shooting, which resulted in a paralyzed teenager over ten years ago. 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, Korean Club, Vietnamese Club, and Fellowship Club), diversity (Gay-Straight Alliance, Peer Resources, Black Student Union), and student interests (Hip Hop Club, Break-Dancing Club, Drama Club, Varsity Gold Show Choir and Cheerleading Team).
Another two strong and acclaimed extracurricular activities are Fallfest and Springfest, two occasions when students can relax with a decreased schedule. Accompanied by popular music, a majority of clubs hold fundraising activities in the open courtyard, from JROTC's traditional barbecues to Chinese food, other cultural dishes, smoothies and mixed drinks.
The student body at ALHS 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 as well as fundraising for current disasters and other events needing charitable contributions. In 2004 the San Francisco Food Bank recognized ALHS for collecting the most food out of all San Francisco schools, and recently overshot its expectations in raising $10,000 in the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.