For some Lincoln students, their history is linked to the hallways they walk every day. Many generations have come and gone through Lincoln and some students have parents or other family members who attended the school. 

Lincoln High school began in 1911 in what is now known as Lincoln Hall located at Portland State University. The high school moved in 1969 to the current building on Salmon Street and has been here ever since. Sophomore Lenna Espinoza is the second generation of her family to attend Lincoln.

“I think it is really cool is that in my mom’s yearbooks I can recognize now where certain pictures were taken and things like that. I like bonding with my mom over these memories,” Espinoza said.  

For many Lincoln families, it has been a tradition to attend Lincoln. 

However, every student experiences and remembers high school differently. So how do current students experience Lincoln differently than previous generations?

“My experience is different than my mom’s in a plethora of different ways,” Espinoza stated. “The biggest difference between our experience and our parents’ experience is the fact that the building is deteriorating at a rapid rate. Previous generations never had to experience mold growing through the ceiling or lead in the water. And there are definitely more people attending Lincoln and inhabiting Portland now than there have ever been.”

“One of the many attractions Portland has is Lincoln’s good reputation,” says former Lincoln student Lizzie Martin. “A large amount of families move to be in the border because of Lincoln’s good reputation for college prep and IB courses.”