Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon)

Student profile

Diversity

Lincoln has a majority white population, a number of factors contribute to this, including the feeder schools and overall race demographics of Portland. The 2023 census showed that 70.1% of Portland identified as white, about 8% higher than Lincoln's population.

About 92% of its students live within the school's neighborhood.

In 2008, 89% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 372 students, 330 graduated, 34 dropped out, four received a modified diploma, and four were still enrolled in high school the following year. For the 2010–11 school year, Lincoln had the highest overall graduation rate among Portland Public high schools, at 84 percent. About 90% of its Asian-American students graduated on time, as did 88% of Latino students. However, only 38% of its five African-American students graduated on time, which was the worst rate in the district.

Activities

Constitution Team

Lincoln's constitution team is nationally recognized for wining the We the People civics competition, and has won 23 state championships and seven national titles.

Culinary

The school's culinary program has gained notoriety due to the instructor, Melanie Hammericksen, winning the Heroes of the Classroom Program award.

Athletics

The school competes in a variety of sports, and has won numerous district and state championships. Lincoln competes in the Portland Interscholastic League under 6A classification.

State championships

History

19th century

With an initial enrollment of 45 students, the school was established in 1869 as the Portland High School in the North Central School sited on Block 80 of Couch's Addition (bounded by NW 11th & 12th and Couch & Davis Streets). The principal was J.W. Johnson. The high school moved from the top floors of the North Central School to the Central School in 1873 (located where Pioneer Courthouse Square is today) and moved again to the Park School (block bounded by Park, 10th, Madison, and Jefferson (now the Portland Art Museum)) in 1878. The first building to be known as Lincoln High School was built at SW 14th and Morrison in 1885, but was still named West Side High School at the time. The land for the 14th and Morrison School was given to the school district by Mrs. Simeon Gannett Reed (wife of the founder of Reed College) in 1869 and the building was designed by William Stokes, an architect who had recently moved to Portland from Oakland, California. The building was designed by prominent local architect William Stokes and situated in the block bounded by 14th, Morrison, Lownsdale (now 15th) and Alder Streets.

In 1889, a "very successful" night school program was started at the first purpose-built building at SW 14th and Morrison.

20th century

The school was renamed Lincoln High School in 1909, and moved to the 45-room South Park Blocks location (now known as Lincoln Hall) when construction was completed in 1912. The building occupies the block bounded by Market & Mill Streets and Park & Broadway. (After the 1912 move, the old building of 1885 was used by the Girls' Polytechnic School. In fall 1928, that school moved to a new building on the east side, leaving the 1885 building vacant, and it was demolished by 1930.)

In 1937, the school had grown to 1,580 students and 53 teachers. In 1972, it had 1,253 students, 7% of whom were black (a contemporary report noted they were mostly "voluntary transfers"); 4.3% of the students were on welfare.

Also in 1937, the Portland Police Bureau's anti-leftist "Red Squad" interrogated a student union leader. This rapidly led to the disbanding of the Silver Shirts-affiliated Red Squad.

Due to the baby boom and passing of a $25 million building levy by the school district in 1947, a new high school was slated. The existing building was sold to the Vanport Extension Center (now Portland State University) in April 1949 for $875,000, with the intention that the high school would not leave for "at least two years." Land was cleared for the school by June 1950 on the former Jacob Kamm House property.

21st century

Lincoln was slated to be completely rebuilt as part of a $790 million bond measure passed in 2017. Construction began in the summer of 2020, with students returning at the beginning of the 2023 school year. The new building was built where the field used to sit, leaving the old building available to attend in the interim years. The new building was designed by Bora and with most of the construction done by Hoffman.

Notable alumni

Sports

• Peter Baum, 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy winner and first overall pick of the 2012 Major League Lacrosse draft
• Ron East, professional football player
• Harry Glickman, sports promoter, "father of professional sports" in Oregon
• Jim Grelle, runner
• Swede Halbrook, former professional basketball player
• Peter Jacobsen, professional golfer
• Kendall Johnson, professional soccer player
• Elmer Kolberg, professional football player
• Mickey Lolich, professional baseball player, 1968 World Series MVP Award winner
• Johnny Pesky, professional baseball player
• Richard Sanders, world champion and two-time Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler
• Matthew Sheldon, professional soccer player

Music

• Marion Bauer, composer, educator, and critic
• Kathleen Hanna, composer, writer, activist and member of Bikini Kill
• Robert Mann, violinist and founding member of Juilliard String Quartet
• Tye North, musician and former member of Leftover Salmon
• Elliott Smith, singer-songwriter
• Nate Query, musician and member of The Decemberists

Media

• Mel Blanc, voice actor
• Rick Emerson, radio personality
• Alex Frost, actor
• Matt Groening, cartoonist
• Colleen Miller, actress
• Rebecca Schaeffer, actress
• Lori Singer, actress and cellist

Other

• Daniel E. Barbey, Vice Admiral, USN
• Walter Cole, entrepreneur, drag performer, better known as Darcelle XV
• Chris DeWolfe, businessman, Myspace
• Aaron Director, professor who helped develop the Chicago school of economics
• S. David Griggs, astronaut
• David E. Jeremiah, Admiral USN, Vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Colin Powell
• Kenneth Koe, pharmacologist & neuroscientist, co-inventor of anti-depressant drug Zoloft
• Hans A. Linde, attorney and justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
• Alfred E. Mann, entrepreneur and philanthropist (brother of notable alumnus Robert Mann)
• Chet Orloff, director of Oregon Historical Society, professor, writer
• Richard Neuberger, journalist and U.S. Senator from Oregon
• Frank Branch Riley, attorney and public speaker
• Mark Rothko, modern artist
• Gary Snyder, poet
• Arthur Dewey Struble, Admiral, USN
• Nathan F. Twining, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Ted Wheeler, 53rd Mayor of Portland

References

References

1. "Lincoln High School - Staff List". [[Portland Public Schools (Oregon).
2. [https://www.pps.net/domain/1122 "Lincoln High School Staff List"]. Portland Public Schools. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
3. "Lincoln High School". W3.osaa.org.
4. (October 13, 2023). "Ida B. Wells football runs over Lincoln 50–13".
5. Rose, Joseph. (May 4, 2012). "'The Simpsons' map of Portland (What other proof do you need that they're Oregonians?)". [[The Oregonian]].
6. J.D. John, Finn. (December 18, 2011). "'Voice of Looney Tunes' was the terror of his Portland high school". [[Offbeat Oregon]].
7. "Lincoln High School". National Center for Education Statistics.
8. Geddes, Ryan. (September 9, 2005). "Public school notebook: The Count". Oregonian Publishing.
9. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Portland city, Oregon".
10. (June 30, 2009). "State releases high school graduation rates". [[The Oregonian]].
11. (June 30, 2009). "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". [[The Oregonian]].
12. Hoffman, Hannah. (January 30, 2012). "Lincoln Posts Lowest Grad Rate for African-American Students of Any PPS High School".
13. (January 25, 2010). "Portland's Lincoln High wins U.S. championship in Constitution contest".
14. (April 26, 2012). "Portland's Lincoln High wins U.S. championship in Constitution contest". The Oregonian.
15. "We the People: 2026 National Competitions: History".
16. Silverman, Julia. (2025-04-16). "After a scoring error is corrected, 2 Oregon high school teams make history at national civics competition".
17. "Lincoln High School Places First in We the People National Finals!". Center for Civic Education.
18. "Melanie Hammericksen of Lincoln High School (Portland) Won $16,000 in the Heroes of the Classroom Program Presented by Kleenex®".
19. "PIL State Championship Team".
20. "OSAA - Records of Champions".
21. (1937). "History of Education in Portland". [[Works Progress Administration.
22. Polich, Edward L.. (1950). "A history of Portland's secondary school system with emphasis on the superintendents and the curriculum". [[University of Portland]].
23. (May 20, 1928). "Historic Old Portland High School Soon to Become Mere Memory of Past". The Sunday Oregonian.
24. (February 9, 1909). "Change in Names of High Schools; West Side is Lincoln, East Side is Washington and Albina to Be Jefferson". The Morning Oregonian.
25. Leeson, Fred. (December 14, 2006). "PSU about to build future on its past". Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing.
26. (September 1, 1928). "New School Inspected; Many Attend Open House at Girls' Polytechnic". The Morning Oregonian.
27. Landauer, Robert. (May 19, 1972). "Lincoln gears courses for college careers". [[The Oregonian]].
28. Shane Burley. (2019). "From Nativism to White Power: Mid-Twentieth-Century White Supremacist Movements in Oregon". OHQ.
29. (April 5, 2017). "Proposed Health, Safety and Modernization Bond: Frequently Asked Questions". Portland Public Schools.
30. (September 29, 2017). "Kellogg, Madison head up next round of school rebuilds". Portland Public Schools.
31. (2020-04-10). "Lincoln High School - Bora".
32. "PIL Hall of Fame CyberMuseum of Inductees".
33. (June 2, 2012). "Oregon Sports Hall of Fame".
34. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/former-oregon-duck-and-olympian-jim-grelle-dies/ar-BB15tGV1]{{dead link. (August 2022)
35. "Swede Halbrook Stats".
36. Meehan, Brian. Jacobsen works at golf, but attitude is natural. ''The Oregonian'', August 27, 2004.
37. "PIL Hall of Fame Cyber Museum, Lincoln, 1935".
38. "1968 World Series".
39. John Hunt. (August 13, 2012). "Johnny Pesky, 92, was a Portland native, Boston Red Sox icon". [[The Oregonian]].
40. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235217/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sa/rich-sanders-1.html Rich Sanders at Sports Reference
41. Daniel Lewinsohn. (January 18, 2018). "Alum finds success on and off pitch". The Cardinal Times.
42. (March 3, 2016). "PYP concert to feature Portland Composer Marion Bauer's music". Pamplin Media Group.
43. (May 15, 1938). "Concert of Mann Rouses Interest". Oregonian Publishing.
44. (September 4, 1938). "WPA Musicians Due to Present Young Violinist". Oregonian Publishing.
45. Shutt, S. R.. "Sweet Adeline ".
46. "Oregon Encyclopedia: Mel Blanc".
47. "Drew Stories Podcast - Alex Frost on movies, acting, and LA {{!}} Episode 62".
48. Baker, Jeff. (March 14, 2004). "Groening, rhymes with reigning". Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing.
49. (February 3, 1957). "Lucky Colleen". Chicago Tribune.
50. English, Jeryme. (December 10, 1971). "Post Concert Supper". [[Statesman Journal]].
51. Vondersmith, Jason. (March 24, 2023). "'A palace' - Walter Cole, aka Darcelle, recalls old Lincoln High". Pamplin Media Group.
52. Angwin, Julia. (2009). "Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America". Random House.
53. (September 13, 2004). "Aaron Director, Founder of the field of Law and Economics". University of Chicago News Office.
54. Hill, Richard L.. (November 22, 2006). "OSU graduate will fly space shuttle on next mission". Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing.
55. "The Architect of Zoloft: Kenneth Koe 1945". Reed College.
56. Acker, Lizzy. (September 1, 2020). "Former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Hans A. Linde dies at 96". [[The Oregonian]].
57. (December 3, 1995). "The Director Chet Orloff". [[The Oregonian]].
58. "Richard Neuberger (1912–1960)". Oregon Encyclopedia.
59. "Mark Rothko". Portland Art Museum.
60. "Oregon Encyclopedia: Gary Snyder (1930–)".
61. "Struble, Arthur Dewey". The Navy Department Library.
62. (September 14, 1959). "Education: PUBLIC SCHOOL PRODUCTS". TIME magazine.
63. "About Ted".
64. "About Ted". TedWheeler.com.