Office of the Principal

Dear Families and Community,

The Lincoln Community School is a vibrant learning community in which everyone contributes and each person belongs. Our school’s essential purpose is to insist that all students learn to use their minds well. Three tenets have sustained our collective work for nearly two decades. 

• The person who does the work does the learning—therefore, we commit to the adage, “teacher as coach, student as worker.”*
•  “Less is more.” We strive to teach, learn, and experience more deeply and with intention.*
• We work steadfastly for the success of every student, recognizing that it is our responsibility to establish equity by redistributing access to resources and opportunity in a fair and just way.

The relationships that teachers, students, and families build with one another are vital to the success of individual students and to our whole school community.  The Community in Lincoln Community School reflects that we are a welcoming place and our commitment for LCS to be an integral part of the greater community.  Much of our curriculum is based on learning about our natural and human communities. Through these studies, we nurture a sense of respect for self, others, learning, and resources.

The 2020-2021 school year is my thirty-first year at LCS. I found an extraordinary spot and have stayed. Simply walking the halls of LCS, I see evidence of what has tethered me to this special place: tile representations of historic houses in Lincoln made by sixth graders three decades ago; photos of third graders with community elders and an artifact of mutual interest:a scythe, a butter churn, a two-person crosscut saw; a map of our Nature Trail, hand-drawn by students; a photo on the Lincoln Mentors board of a smiling mentor and mentee beside their gingerbread house; PERSEVERANCE arcing above a bulletin board in large, student-colored letters. All of these say to me: connect, learn, create.

In closing, these unusual times provide us with challenges to be sure. They also provide us with openings. As we all experience prolonged uncertainty and vulnerability, we have the opportunity to let loose our creativity and harness our courage. Let’s do this with one another: be honest about our fears and create, innovate, and encourage as we continue to build our learning community.

With gratitude,

Tory Riley, principal

 *Both of these originated from The Coalition of Essential Schools