Robin Marks, the new attendance coach, is returning to Lincoln after graduating in 1980.

During her time at Lincoln, Marks won five state titles in different events in track and field, leading her to be inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) Hall of Fame in 2005. Marks also became the Rose Festival Queen in 1980; she was the first Black woman to be named Rose Festival Queen.

Marks is eager to help students improve their connection to the school community.

“I always thought if I returned to Lincoln in any capacity, it would be as a coach,” said Marks. “It’s pretty exciting to be back and to be in a capacity to serve students other than on the athletic field.”

Principal Peyton Chapman has known that she wanted Marks to work at Lincoln before Marks became interested in working here.

“[Marks] came on the [opening day of the new building], and… she talked about how many opportunities there were at… Lincoln… but that if students didn’t use the resources and ask for help, that was on them… The kids all cheered for her,” said Chapman. “So I said, anytime you want to come back, I would hire you.“

Marks approaches the job by addressing the root causes of absences for students. “I say, serve the whole student… We need to figure out how to alleviate barriers that can be a reason why a student is not coming to school,” said Marks.