Welcome back to school! It’s hard to believe we’re already several weeks into the new school year, let alone 4 years into the realization of The Lincoln Academy vision. This is a special year. For the first time, we are fully K4-12th grade, with 727 scholars enrolled. The classrooms are all in use, the bleachers are full during assemblies, the teaching staff represents every grade level, and at the end of this schoolyear we will shepherd our first graduating class into a bright, choice-filled future.
Another Year of Firsts
Each of the last several years we have celebrated new “firsts” as we have grown. From the inaugural first day of school, school assembly, afterschool club, homecoming week, holiday sing, athletic event, parent-teacher conference, and state testing period to Prom, Track & Field Day, 8th grade black shirt ceremony, school carnival, and summer break we have celebrated with joy. These firsts have been met with a mix of excitement and opportunity for growth by our school community, and they aren’t over yet. Already this year, TLA’s first Varsity athletic teams are in action and Seniors contemplating college have already applied early or are beginning that process and learning about financial aid applications, college essays, and scholarship opportunities.
Honoring Some Lasts
Most of our Senior scholars have been with us since 9th grade. They are an amazing group of scholars who have embraced their role as mentors and scholar leaders since that very first day at TLA. They have rolled with us as we have grown and provided plenty of honest, helpful feedback as we have worked to create a school culture that incorporates the positive impact of cross-grade level collaboration while still maintaining an environment that provides for a true high school experience. Our Seniors haven’t been shy about sharing their feedback and our school and those scholars who are coming up behind them will have a more robust experience as a result. Prior to the start of this schoolyear, the Senior class made the decision to recognize and honor some of their last high school experiences throughout the year. We look forward to sharing and celebrating this special journey with them.
A New Kind of Year
Like scholars, as staff we still have that sense of excitement and wonder at the start of school about what the new year will bring. Now that the fresh start of the first day has passed, TLA really feels like a school this year. There’s something about being a full house in a year with firsts and lasts and a future filled with so much potential. It brings a new kind of energy and excitement knowing that we are where we are supposed to be and as ready as ever to keep getting after it.
Dr. Kristi Cole is the Chief Education Officer at The Lincoln Academy, a K4-12 independent 2x charter school in Beloit, Wisconsin.