Programs

The Lincoln High School Foundation focuses its efforts to raise private philanthropic funding for these key areas.

FUTURE VISION MENTORING PROGRAM

• The program’s mission is to inspire and guide students throughout their Lincoln tenure to set and achieve personal and academic goals.

• Two trained community volunteer mentors are paired with 10-12 student mentees to help stress the relevance of education and to prepare them for their post high school life.

• Participants build camaraderie exploring goal setting, study skills, time management, prioritization skills, take field trips, and much more to enrich the students’ educational experience throughout their 4-year high school career.

• In its 23-year history, over 2,200 students have greatly benefitted from this program.

CLASSROOM AND DEPARTMENT GRANTS

• Classroom grants positively impact the educational experience of ALL students.

• Critically needed funds help to expand student horizons, support innovative ways of teaching, and provide equipment for long lasting use and ongoing projects.

THINKIN’ LINCOLN

• An innovative and popular public policy contest, students are asked to submit a proposal for a $2,000 grant to help improve the school.

• The top three proposals win prize money and the winning proposal is funded by the Foundation.

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS

• These important awards aptly recognize two outstanding educators who demonstrate originality, innovation and dedication to their students, and help the school retain its prized educators.

RECORD OF PAST PROGRAM SUPPORT

The following are a few examples of programs that Foundation funding has supported since its inception:

Dance Room/Rehearsal Hall ($50,000)

What was once a school boiler has been renovated into a dance room. The school district had removed the old boilers and created this room for dance classes, yet left it without any of the niceties necessary for a functioning dance space. The Foundation combined resources to install acoustical wall coverings, mirrors, and a new wood dance floor to benefit the popular dance and music programs at Lincoln.

Robotics and Technology ($23,500)

With funding from the Foundation, a Robotics and Technology class was created for freshmen students during the 1999-2000 school year. The class, taught by the physics teacher, offers a hands-on approach to help students understand the principles of engineering and physics as applied to today’s technology. Students are introduced to the concepts needed to program and operate a remote-controlled robot that they have designed and constructed. Every year the Robotics team has entered its robot in national and local competitions, where the challenges of competition create an environment in which students are strongly motivated to learn. Real world problems and real-world solutions are used to assess a student’s mastery of the material taught in the classroom.

State of the Art Weight Training Facility ($38,000)

The Lincoln High School Foundation created a physical fitness center outfitted with state of the art equipment. The center is named after the late Lee Cox, a respected athletic coach and teacher who was a member of the Lincoln faculty for 25 years. This facility is utilized for not only for Physical Education classes, but also is used by athletes participating in a variety of sports, to enhance their training and overall physical fitness.

Science Program

Science has become a priority area of study for students preparing to work in the new global economy. The Foundation has provided funds for the purchase of new textbooks for classes in biology, chemistry, and physics; it has also helped launch a new AP physics class.  This support is unduplicated in the San Jose Unified School District.  In 2005/06, the Foundation provided additional support for a science wing facility upgrade.

Black Box Theatre ($300,000) The foundation worked with faculty members and the San Jose Unified School District superintendent to renovate the Lincoln cafeteria into what is now the Black Box Theatre. New lighting, trestles, risers, chairs, curtains, and an air conditioning/heating unit were installed to transform the school’s cafeteria into a high-quality venue for musicals and plays. The foundation’s efforts to upgrade and modernize this space was part of a larger bond measure improvement plan. Work on this project began during the school year 1999-2000 and was completed in 2001.  In 2005/06 the Foundation provided an additional $25,000 to improve the Black Box Theater Sound System.