Each new semester, new students transfer into Lincoln. Instructional coach Emily Hensley, who coaches teachers and leads the ninth-grade student success teams, a group focused on supporting students in their transition from middle school to high school, has recently started focusing on the needs of students who transfer into Lincoln halfway through the year.
Hensley was a teacher before she became an instructional coach. As a teacher, she noticed the difficulty transfer students had adjusting to Lincoln. Arriving after routines were set and friendships were formed at the beginning of the year made it hard for transfer students to thrive.
“I always felt really bad that I wasn’t able to support them more in finding their footing both socially and academically at Lincoln,” Hensley said.
This year, now that she is an instructional coach, she is introducing a more intentional support system to welcome newcomers. The program pairs up a peer mentor from leadership/Cardinal Ambassadors with a new student before their first day at school. Ideally, the pair would be based on common interests or a shared class to build connections.
“The goal,” Hensley said, “is that every new student will have an opportunity to have a mentor who can answer questions from the student lens that they might not want to ask an adult.”
For some transfer students, that connection makes a big difference.
Charlie Pollard, a senior who recently transferred from Catlin Gabel, noted how much bigger Lincoln is compared to his previous school.
“Lincoln is so big, it’s [easy to] find people here,” said Pollard. Although he hasn’t built the same close friendships he had at his previous school, he appreciates the size and freedom Lincoln provides. With nearly 1,600 students, he anticipates more opportunities to meet people and make connections.
Freshman Ella Chan, who transferred from Beaverton High School, said her transition has come with academic adjustments. Lincoln’s curriculum– specifically math and English– has required her to adapt to new teaching styles and essay structures. Despite the challenges, she said she enjoys the independence Lincoln offers, particularly the off-campus lunch policy.
Both students emphasized that having a classmate greet them can make all the difference.
“Just saying hi goes a long way,” Chan said.