Lincoln High School

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Founded in 1871, Lincoln High School is the oldest of eight public high schools in Lincoln. The present building opened in 1915, with significant additions in 1927, 1957, 1985, and 1996. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and holds the AA accreditation rating of the Nebraska State Board of Education. In 1984 it was named a Recognized School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. Lincoln High began formal participation in the International Baccalaureate Program in 2008, one of only three high schools in Nebraska involved in the program—the others being Millard North High School and Omaha Central High School, both in Omaha. In 2018, it was honored as a "School of Opportunity" with the "Gold" designation by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, one of only eight public schools to receive this highest designation. Principal Mark Larson said, "This recognition also speaks to the unique culture that has been in place at Lincoln High for many years and hopefully will continue for years to come." Four faculty members have been honored as Nebraska Teacher of the Year: John Heineman (2000), Patsy Koch Johns (2006), Amber Vlasnik (2017), and Sydney Jensen (2019). After the Lincoln Public Schools administration building burned in 2011, the Lincoln High Library Media Center staff digitized the school's archives. The school newspaper, The Advocate, is available digitally.

In Their Own Story

Lincoln High School's total enrollment is 1,932, consisting of 46% White students, 11% African-American, 10% Asian-American, 21% Hispanic/Latino, and 2% Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native. 9% of students are of two or more races. LHS has approximately 330 students in ELL classes. Over 60% of its student body is in the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program, and 17% are identified as either gifted or highly gifted. Over 30 different languages are spoken as first languages by students. The largest group speak Spanish (56), and the next four largest groups speak Arabic, Kurdish, Vietnamese, and Karen. Other languages spoken include Russian, Ukrainian, Nuer (Sudan), Bosnian, Pashto, Dinka, Cambodian, Filipino, Chinese, and Burmese. Lincoln High offers hundreds of courses in twelve different departments to its over 2,000 students, operating on a seven-period day schedule. It has 150 certified staff members and 90 support staff members. It is the only high school in Lincoln to offer the International Baccalaureate program to gifted or highly gifted students.

Reader's Guide

Lincoln High School competes as a NSAA District 1 school in the Heartland Athletic Conference. The baseball program is headed by Coach Chaz Dunn and Assistant Coach Max Roberts, with JV Dan Monroe, Reserve Thomas Riley, and Freshman Nick Stephan. The baseball program won state championships in 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1963, and last had measurable success under coach Sam Sharpe from 1991-1992. The wrestling program is headed by Coach Andy Genrich. Lincoln High last won a state championship in 1992 and has had 29 individual state champions. In 2009, the program had success in qualifying three wrestlers for state, all by winning first place at the district meet. The football program competes in the NSAA's Class A Division, headed by Head Coach Mark Macke. Coach Macke has compiled a record of 40-60 since taking over the program in 2013. The varsity football team has earned a berth into the Class A Playoffs nine times in school history, with the most recent occurring in 2020. Their most successful season ended in a State Championship Game loss to Lincoln Southeast High School in 1992, with a final score of 17-0.

Did You Know?

• Lincoln High School is the oldest of eight public high schools in Lincoln, founded in 1871.
• The school's mascot, the Links, is memorialized in a statue on the front lawn gifted by the class of 1970, with four links representing tradition, diversity, excellence, and unity.
• Four Lincoln High faculty have been named Nebraska Teacher of the Year: John Heineman (2000), Patsy Koch Johns (2006), Amber Vlasnik (2017), and Sydney Jensen (2019).
• Over 30 different languages are spoken as first languages by students at Lincoln High, with Spanish being the largest group at 56 speakers.
• Notable alumni include Ted Sorensen, special counsel to President John F. Kennedy, and Robert B. Wilson, winner of the 2020 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.