Abraham Lincoln High School (San Francisco, California)

Abraham Lincoln High School
ALHS
Main entrance on 24th Avenue
Address
Map
2162 24th Avenue

Sunset District (San Francisco)
,
California
94116

United States
Coordinates37°44′50″N 122°28′52″W / 37.74728°N 122.48103°W / 37.74728; -122.48103
Information
School typePublic school
MottoLatin: Finimus Coepturi
(Finish to begin)
EstablishedAugust 27, 1940 (1940-08-27)
FounderClyde W. White
School boardSan Francisco Board of Education
School districtSan Francisco Unified School District
NCES District ID05581
SuperintendentMaria Su[1]
School number405
PrincipalShari Balisi Manalang[2]
Staff83.71 (FTE)[3]
Enrollment2,037 (2023–2024)[3]
Student to teacher ratio24.33[3]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red and Gold   
Athletics conferenceCIF San Francisco Section
MascotMustang
AccreditationWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
NewspaperLincoln Log
Graduates (2016)467
Websitewww.sfusd.edu/school/abraham-lincoln-high-school

Abraham Lincoln High School (ALHS) is a California Distinguished public high school located in the Sunset District of San Francisco, California. In 2018, ALHS was ranked #499 and earned a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report, placing it in the top 2% of public high schools nationally.[4]

ALHS offers honors and college prep programs, and offers students the ability to specialize in one of five academic areas: business, digital media design, teaching, and environmental science.[5]

ALHS provides services and special education for severely and non-severely impaired students, including a comprehensive English Language Learner (ELL) program, a Mandarin Secondary Dual Language Pathway, four years of Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese instruction, a GATE pathway for gifted and talented students, a Wellness Center, Peer Resource Program, AVID, Step-to-College, clubs, athletics, and extracurriculars.

History, location, and facilities

Abraham Lincoln High School was established on Tuesday, August 27, 1940, accepting approximately 950 students under principal Clyde W. White. Its opening and dedication ceremony was held on September 22, 1940.

ALHS is a "westside" school along with Lowell High School and George Washington High School.

ALHS at the corner of Quintara and 24th

In the center of the Sunset District, ALHS occupies four city blocks demarcated by the intersections of Quintara Street and Santiago Street and 22nd Avenue and 24th Avenue. The school is located near the Sunset Reservoir, which supplies water for the Sunset district and serves as a rectangular, city-block track for physical education, and directly north of McCoppin Square, the Taraval Police Station, and the Parkside branch of the San Francisco Public Library.

A 1938 bond issue, approved by San Francisco voters to address the increasing population in the Western San Francisco area, financed the incorporation of ALHS with a three-story building of 50 classrooms, library, and cafeteria as well as a football field, costing over $750,000 in 1940[6] (adjusted for 2005 dollars, over $10 million). Additions such as the North and South Gymnasiums, the auditorium, and the "New Building" expansion were completed later.

ALHS has been the beneficiary of the Prop A Bond work for remodeling and renovation. The site has been fully updated for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 2020 the San Francisco School Renaming Panel argued that Abraham Lincoln, the school's namesake, had treated Native Americans very poorly, and therefore, the school should no longer have his name.[7] Mayor of San Francisco London Breed criticized the renaming proposal, arguing that there were more important tasks to focus on during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] A video recording of the meeting does not show that the committee discussed the proposal to rename Lincoln.[9] The school board dropped the plan to rename the school.[10]

Academics and admissions

Abraham Lincoln High School is a comprehensive school that does not require special applications, testing, or auditions for admission. As with all SFUSD schools, Lincoln's admissions 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.[11]

For the 2017–2018 school year, ALHS was the second most requested high school in the district, after Lowell. 34% (1,548) of all applicants requested Lowell as a 1st choice, and 19% (868) requested Lincoln.[12]

Traditions

The school colors are red and gold, and the school mascot is the Mustang.

The school hymn, titled "High on a Hilltop", was written by Lincoln graduate Patricia Cutler Aversano in 1943.

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!

The Bell Game is a 70-year old football tradition between Lincoln and rival Washington High School.[13] The winning school receives the prized bell. Spirit week takes place the week of the Bell Game.

The annual Unity Assembly (formerly Brotherhood and Sisterhood Assembly) is one of the largest events at ALHS. Various clubs perform to celebrate the school's diversity. Unity Assembly began to understand other cultures after a near-fatal school-related shooting, which resulted in a paralyzed teenager over twenty years ago. Unity Assembly is a two-hour assembly presented by extracurricular clubs that promote tolerance and awareness.

Lincoln hosts two seasonal festivals each year: Fall Fest and Spring Fest. During these Fests, clubs hold fundraising activities in the open courtyard.

The Turkey Day game is the city championship football game held annually on Thanksgiving.

The first Star Trek convention in Northern California was held at Lincoln in 1975.[14]

Extracurricular and community work

ALHS has over 40 clubs and student organizations, including Mock Trial, Drama and Tech, Improv, UNICEF, Chess, GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance), Surf, Rowing, KPOP, Glee, JROTC (Color Guard, Drum Corps, Exhibition and Flag and Exhibition Drill Teams), Black Student Union, Korean, Japanese Culture, and FilAm (Filipino American).[15]

ALHS has made charitable contributions and ran charitable campaigns, with annual drives for organizations such as the San Francisco Food Bank and Salvation Army. In 2004, the San Francisco Food Bank recognized ALHS for collecting the most food out of all San Francisco schools. Also, that year, students raised $10,000 in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Athletics

ALHS fields varsity teams in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, fencing, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. ALHS also offers track and field, badminton, softball, weightlifting, and girls' flag football. Additionally, ALHS has several athletic and sports clubs, including archery, cycling, and dragon boat.

Dragon boat team

Established in 1996, the ALHS co-ed dragon boat team is one of the largest in the Bay Area. The ALHS dragon boat team won the World Championship title at the 11th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Club Crew World Championship Races in Szeged, Hungary, in July 2018.[16]

Varsity football

Marine recruiter gives motivational speech to ALHS varsity football team on sports field

The ALHS Varsity Mustangs were the back-to-back California State Champions for football in 2018 and 2019. On December 15, 2018, the Mustangs defeated visiting Orange Glen High School, the San Diego Section Division V champion, 24–13 in the CIF Division VI state title game at City College of San Francisco. It was the first state title in the school's history in the first-ever state championship game held in San Francisco.[17]

On December 14, 2019, the Mustangs defeated Gardena High School Panthers 35–26 in the Division 7AA state championship at City College of San Francisco.[18]

Demographics

  • 2016–2017[19]
    • 2072 students; M/F (56.1/ 43.9)
Asian Latino White African-American Filipino Two or more races American Indian Pacific Islander Other/declined to say
51.5% 24.6% 7.5% 5.3% 4.3% 1.1% .7% .7% 4%
  • 2017-2018
    • 126 Certificated Teachers;

Notable alumni

Richard Serra's Fulcrum in Broadgate, London
Name Class Year Notability Reference(s)
Brooksley Born 1956 American attorney and chairperson of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
John L. Burton 1950 President of the California State Senate and Congressman
Ray Cosey 1973 Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball and in Nippon Professional Baseball [20]
Cecil O. De Loach, Jr. 1956 Firefighter, winemaker, viticulturist
Bob DiPietro 1945 Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
Barbara Eden 1949 Actress [21]
Einar Enevoldson 1950 NASA test pilot and director of the Perlan Project [22]
Vince Guaraldi 1946 Jazz musician, pianist, and Grammy Award-winning composer; best known for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip [23]
Mike Holmgren 1966 NFL head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers [24]
Jess Jackson 1947 Founder of Kendall-Jackson, Sonoma County's largest wine company [25]
Martin Jenkins 1971 California Supreme Court Justice, former Federal District Court Judge and Trustee, most widely known for presiding over the largest civil rights class-action suit in American history, Dukes v. Wal-Mart
Ron Jones (teacher) 1958 Disability advocate and author [26]
Gus Lee 1964 Author, attorney, legal educator, and whistleblower
Zeph Lee 1981 Football player for the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders [27][28]
Johnny Miller 1965 Professional golfer and golf commentator for NBC Sports. [29]
Martin J. Pasqualetti 1962 Professional geographer who pioneered work on energy landscapes
Alonzo Powell 1982 Professional baseball player. Former hitting instructor for the San Francisco Giants [30][31]
Richard Serra 1956 Minimalist sculptor [23]
Tony Serra 1952 Trial attorney and tax activist
Jeffrey Tambor 1961 Emmy Award winning actor
Laurence Tribe 1958 Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard
Ken Venturi 1949 Professional golfer and sports commentator [29]
BD Wong 1978 Television, film, and Tony Award-winning theater actor
Micah Franklin 1990 Professional baseball player in MLB, NPB, and the KBO

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dr. Maria Su | SFUSD". www.sfusd.edu. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Administration | SFUSD". www.sfusd.edu. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Lincoln (Abraham) High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "California Has 524 U.S. News Best Schools In The Country For 2018". Banning-Beaumont, CA Patch. May 13, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Abraham Lincoln High School | SFUSD". www.sfusd.edu. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Callahan, Michael (February 19, 2016). Is Lincoln High haunted? - This Forgotten Day in S.F. SFGATE.
  7. ^ Budryk, Zack (December 16, 2020). "Recommendation to rename San Francisco school named after Lincoln stirs national debate". The Hill. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  8. ^ Thadani, Trisha (October 16, 2020). "'It's offensive': Mayor Breed slams school renaming plan as a waste of energy amid pandemic". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  9. ^ Tucker, Jill (December 14, 2020). "Abraham Lincoln was once a hero. In some S.F. education circles, he's now a bad guy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  10. ^ Tucker, Jill (December 14, 2020). "San Francisco Schools Will Keep Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington Names". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Student Assignment Process Archived December 5, 2004, at the Wayback Machine, SFUSD.
  12. ^ "Round 1 Assignments, March 20th 2017" (PDF). SFUSD. March 21, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "HIGH SCHOOLS / 'Bell Game' rings with history for Lincoln, Washington". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. ^ 'Star Trek' convention gets new respect – SFGate
  15. ^ "Clubs and Clubs Calendar | SFUSD". www.sfusd.edu. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Lincoln High School Dragon Boat Team Wins World Championships". San Francisco Public Schools. August 1, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019.
  17. ^ Gorcery, Ryan (December 15, 2018). "SF Preps: Lincoln finishes perfect season, wins football title in first state championship game hosted in San Francisco". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  18. ^ Durand, Michael (December 15, 2019). "Lincoln High School Football Wins Back-to-Back State Championships". Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "School Accountability Report Card - School Year 2016-17 - Abraham Lincoln High School" (PDF). SFUSD. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2018.
  20. ^ "A's Sign Lincoln Ace Cosey". The San Francisco Examiner. June 15, 1973. p. 63. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  21. ^ "Barbara Eden". Biography.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  22. ^ "Wall of Fame". www.lincolnhigh.net. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Lincoln (Abraham) HS: Wall of Fame". www.lincolnhigh.net. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  24. ^ "Legacy of a native son". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  25. ^ "Jess Jackson took fast road to winner's circle". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  26. ^ "Coach Roots for Kids With Disabilities / Ron Jones guides hoops team, acts in solo show about his life". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  27. ^ "ZEPH LEE". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  28. ^ "TRANSITION GAME : Lee Impresses Raiders While Making Switch to Defense". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 1988. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  29. ^ a b "Lincoln High School and S.F. golf's glory days". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  30. ^ "Giants hire new hitting coach away from Astros [report]". KNBR-AM. November 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  31. ^ "Mustangs - Class of 1982" (PDF).