Academic Departments

Students posing in class
Art

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Art Staff

CareerConnect Pathways

Career education is being transformed at Lincoln. We now offer four different career pathways:

  • TechConnect – Robotics, Computer Programming, Information Technology, Web Design
  • CreativeConnect – Digital Photography, Graphic Design
  • MakerConnect – Computer Aided Drafting
  • AceConnect – Career Readiness for students with disabilities

Each discipline will immerse students in practices that are used throughout the given industry. Students will be introduced as 9th graders and, as they progress through their high school careers, they will be guided towards their chosen field.

The CareerConnect staff at Lincoln and DPS has partnered with various corporations in the metro area to help direct students in their career choice. Job shadows, mentorships and paid internship programs have shown success in getting students to contemplate their place in the working society.

The current job market is in need of digital workers with the skills and knowledge to fill openings in STEM-related jobs. We strive to give our students that opportunity.

Visit the DPS CareerConnect website.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Career & Technical Education Team

Photo Name Title Department Email
Velasco headshot Yolanda Velasco CTE Tech Teacher Career & Technical Education, Teachers Yolanda_Velasco@dpsk12.org
College Credits

At Abraham Lincoln High School, we offer a number of ways for students to earn college credit while in high school.

These programs include:

Concurrent Enrollment

Concurrent enrollment courses allow Denver high school students to take college classes while still in high school. This provides students an idea of what college classes are like and saves families money.

We currently partner with Community College of Denver (CCD), CU Succeeds and Metro State to offer more than 40 concurrent enrollment sections on campus at ALHS. Students have the opportunity to continue their postsecondary plans with support from Denver Public Schools through the CareerConnect Youth Apprenticeship program and  support through the Denver Scholarship Foundation.

More information about these programs:

Advanced Placement (AP)

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers high school students college-level courses and exams, which result in students having the opportunity to get a head start on earning college credits.

Students who take AP courses and achieve a qualifying score open the door to several benefits on their postsecondary success journey. Students who pass the AP test with a score of 3 or above can earn college credit.

Depending on the university, students may earn more credit with a score of 5 (the highest possible score) than a three. Some selective colleges only award credit for a score of 5.

In addition, many colleges award elective rather than core credit, i.e., a student may earn a 5 in AP Physics, but the university may choose to award elective rather than science credit. Note that some highly selective colleges do not award credit for AP classes. 

By earning college credit while in high school, students save significantly on college tuition, avoid required introductory courses and advance to upper-level courses, which places them on a faster track toward degree completion.

Learn more about Advanced Placement classes in DPS and scroll down to see the AP classes we offer at ALHS.

Advanced Placement offerings

English
AP Literature
AP Language

Math
AP Calculus AB

Science
AP Biology

Social Studies
AP United States History
AP Human Geography
AP Government

Art
AP Studio Art

World Languages
AP Spanish Language
AP Italian Language

ASCENT

Accelerating Students through Concurrent ENrollmenT or ASCENT is a program created by Colorado law that allows Denver Public Schools and other school districts to pay the tuition, fees and cost of textbooks for one full year (fall and spring semesters) of college for participating students.

Passed into law in 2009, the purpose of ASCENT is to improve academic programming and create a path for students to enroll in college courses and earn credits while in high school.

Specifically, the program gives high school students the opportunity to attend college as full-time students if they have met the specific qualifications. Students are eligible to enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester at one of many participating community or technical colleges.

The program gives students the chance to get a head start on earning a certificate, associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree while saving money.

How to Qualify

  • Apply by submitting ASCENT Agreement and Registration form by December 14th of senior year.
  • Submit one-page essay and one letter of recommendation by March 5th of senior year.
  • Meet all DPS high school graduation requirements by the end of their senior year.
  • Complete and pass 12 credit hours (typically four classes) of college coursework prior to the end of the 12th grade year. These courses must be 100-level or higher and must be on the student’s high school and college transcripts. Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) transcripted coursework may also count toward the 12 credits with specific exam scores.
  • Have at least 2.75 cumulative or overall GPA – strongly suggested.
  • Apply and be admitted to any Colorado community college and/or technical school (Emily Griffith Technical College and Pickens Technical College exclusively). (See below for list of the ASCENT program’s college partners.)
  • Must be college ready for the courses in their degree or certificate programs and not need remediation (determined by SAT/ACCUPLACER subject scores and/or the passing of Concurrent Enrollment developmental education courses – CCR 092 and MAT 050 or 055 with a grade of “C” or higher). Generally, students need to have a SAT Reading-Writing score of 470 and Math 500 or ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills score of 95 and Elementary Algebra 85.
  • Register with College Opportunity Fund (COF).

ASCENT Program College Partners

  • Arapahoe Community College (ACC)
  • Community College of Aurora (CCA)
  • Community College of Denver (CCD)
  • Emily Griffith Technical College (EGTC)
  • Front Range Community College (FRCC)
  • Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU)
  • Pickens Technical College (PTC)
  • Red Rocks Community College (RRCC)
CLEP

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) provides students the opportunity to earn college credit for what they already know, by passing an exam in one of 33 different content areas. If students earn a passing score on the exam, they have the opportunity to earn discounted college credit at one of almost 2,800 colleges and universities nationwide.

At ALHS, our students have great success with the Spanish CLEP exam and have earned 6-15 college credits. The number of credits is based on the student score.

Learn more about CLEP and how it can help you earn college credit for what you already know.

For more information, please talk with a teacher or visit your counselor.

English

The Abraham Lincoln High School English Department offers rigorous courses designed to prepare students to go to college. Our department has talented and dedicated teachers who believe that all students can and will succeed.

Introduction to Literature and Composition — Introduction to Literature and Composition is a course designed to teach students how to read, analyze, and write about the different genres traditionally taught in high school courses. Through the Coming of Age theme, each unit will provide students with strategies that will help them read and analyze novels, short stories, poetry, drama, argumentative writing, and film. Compositions will focus on the analysis of how writers use literary elements to tell stories.

American Literature Honors — In Level VI, the units center on an investigation of the idea of the “American dream.” Students are asked to read and think about important questions presented in American literature—questions about freedom, justice, and the pursuit of happiness. Students read longer works of fiction and nonfiction, honing their skills of analysis and synthesis. Both creative and academic writing grows out of the reading and thinking about ideas presented in the units. Students move toward creating assessment portfolios that emphasize self-assessment in relation to standards and growth in skills.

World Literature and Composition — This course is designed to expose students to literature from multiple regions of the world so that literature can be analyzed from the perspective of people who come from a variety of cultures. Students also develop skills they will need in order to be successful on the ACT exam.

AP English Language and Composition — Students study the concept of persuasive writing and rhetoric. This rigorous, college-level course allows students to analyze arguments and compose some of their own. Students will come away from this course with the ability to participate in public discourse as college students.

AP English Literature and Composition — This college-level course is designed to help students analyze multiple genres from multiple time periods. This course is offered senior year, and students who earn a 3 or higher can earn college credit for the course.

Journalism — The journalism course teaches students the ethics and skills needed to be a fair and responsible journalist.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ English (Language Arts) Teaching Team

JROTC

The Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is an exciting program offered to high school students that teaches character education, student achievement, health and wellness, leadership and diversity.

JROTC students
Abraham Lincoln High School is one of ten high schools in Denver Public Schools to offer JROTC.

In addition to promoting citizenship, JROTC also prepares students for postsecondary options including college or the workforce. Through cadet-run programs and team competitions, students learn invaluable professional skills like leadership, teamwork, time-management, self-discipline and communication. Contact: MSG Beasley: Mark_Beasley@dpsk12.org.

Math

Welcome to the ALHS Math Department!

We are dedicated to preparing all ALHS students for career and college readiness.

Meet the Lincoln Lancers’ Math Team

Math Resources

Metro State University provides FREE tutoring after school Mondays-Thursdays in the library. Please take advantage of this excellent resource!

Below are some online math resources student can explore to help with their coursework.

Below are some general resources for juniors and seniors.

College and Career Readiness

Abraham Lincoln High School is dedicated to career and college readiness for ALL of our students. Below are the math course we offer that students can take to earn college credit.

  • MTH 050
  • MTH 055
  • MTH 121
  • AP Calculus AB

Please encourage your student to take advantage of these great opportunities. Students, be sure to talk to your counselors about how you can get enrolled in these courses.

We also offer an ACT Prep course to juniors. This course is designed to prepare students for the ACT test, which is often used in college applications. All juniors will take the ACT in the spring. Students are also encouraged to sign up for a free ACT test each year. Please see the counselors in room 120 for details.

Math Courses Offered

Below are the courses offered by the ALHS Math Department. All courses marked with an * are also offer in an honors version of the course. Honors sections dive more deeply into the content and sometimes work at an accelerated pace.

Algebra 1

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 9
Recommended Prerequisites: none 

This course focuses on using variables to solve equations. Students are also expected to use multiple representations of linear and quadratic functions to solve real-world problems. ALHS offers an extra lab class to help support students in this course.

*Geometry

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 9,10
Recommended Prerequisites: Algebra 1

This course focuses on properties of geometric figures such as triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons. This is the first course where students are exposed to mathematical proofs.

*Algebra 2

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 10,11
Recommended Prerequisites: Geometry

This course takes concepts learned in Algebra 1 and explores them at a deeper level. Students are also introduced to additional function types including polynomials, exponential functions, and trigonometric functions.

*Pre-Calculus

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 9
Recommended Prerequisites: Algebra 2

This course dives deeper into the new topics introduced in Algebra 2 in order to prepare students for calculus. The problems are more complex and often involve using skills and properties from previous courses in new ways.

Probability/Statistics

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 11,12
Recommended Prerequisites: Algebra 2 

Financial Algebra

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 11, 12
Recommended Prerequisites: none 

This course focuses on applying the concepts learned in previous math courses to personal finances and other monetary applications. Students will explore concepts related to the stock market, business finance, mortgages, and other real-life scenarios.

MTH 050

Credits: 5 (one semester)
Grade Level: 9
Prerequisites: ACCUPLACER Test

This course reviews concepts from basic math concepts including order of operations, percentages, fractions, unit rates, and basic equations. This course is a concurrent enrollment course through Community College of Denver.

MTH 055

Credits: 5 (one semester)
Grade Level: 9
Prerequisites: ACCUPLACER Test

This course uses concepts from basic math concepts and teaches students how to apply them to the real world. This course is a concurrent enrollment course through Community College of Denver.

MTH 121

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 9
Prerequisites: ACCUPLACER Test

MTH 121 is a college algebra class offered through Metro State University. Students can earn college credit by passing this course with a C or higher.

AP Calculus AB

Credits: 5 per semester
Grade Level: 9
Recommended Prerequisites: Pre-Calculus

This Advanced Placement course teaches the basic of calculus which includes derivatives, integrals, and their applications. Students can earn college credit for Calculus I by passing the end of year AP exam with a 3 or higher, depending upon the student’s post-secondary plans.

*denotes honors section offered

Music

Meet the Lincoln Lancers’ Music Staff

Photo Name Title Department Email
Abby Blakeney Music Teacher Music abigail_blakeney@dpsk12.net
Physical Education

Meet the Lincoln Lancers’ Physical Education Team

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Science

The Abraham Lincoln Science Department is focused on providing enriching lab activities with a balance of Common Core reading, writing and math, and scientific problem-solving and data analysis to provide all students with the knowledge and skills to help them in their future.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Science Team

The department members range in experience level between a 28-year veteran to 1st-year teachers. Members also have a range of experiences from engineers to lab technicians, to even an Apple Store Genius. Culturally, the department has members from as far away as Venezuela, Michigan and Minnesota and as close as Arvada and just down the street on Zuni.

The sequence of science courses is as follows:

Earth Science — Biology — Chemistry/Physics — Science Elective, which can include Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy or any Advanced Placement (AP) Science course

Honors track: Biology Honors — Chemistry Honors — AP Physics 1– AP Biology/AP Chemistry/ AP Environmental Science-AP Physics 1 or 2.

The sequences are only a suggestion; many sophomores take Advanced Placement (AP) classes currently.

Social Studies

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Social Studies Team

Special Education

The Special Education Department at Abraham Lincoln High School is a highly qualified team of teachers dedicated to meeting the needs of each of our students. We are committed to finding each student a pathway after high school. Our students will be ready for college, career or the workforce when they leave our school.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Special Education Team

Photo Name Title Department Email
Kathleen Fox Assistant Principal/Student Support Administration, Special Education Kathleen_Esparza@dpsk12.org
Michael Hoshall Paraprofessional Special Education Michael_Hoshall@dpsk12.org
Mardones headshot Icaro Mardones Special Education Teacher Special Education, Teachers Icaro_Mardones@dpsk12.org
Nethery headshot Kathryn Nethery Special Education Teacher, Language Arts Special Education, Teachers Kathryn_Nethery@dpsk12.org

Helpful Resources

World Languages

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.” ‒ Geoffrey Willans

Hi, we are the world languages department, including Chinese, Italian, French and Spanish for non-native speakers and Spanish for heritage speakers!

Meet the Lincoln Lancers’ World Languages Team

Educational Support Departments

Counseling

Meet the Lincoln Lancers’ Counseling Team

Restorative Justice

What is Restorative Justice and Its Practices?

“Restorative Justice (RJ) is a community-based approach to building, repairing, and restoring relationships. At its best, RJ provides a space for community members to be held accountable while participating in creating pathways to repair. It encourages stakeholders to reflect upon how their values and beliefs impact the greater community. Restorative Practices (RP) are specific responses within a community that aim to build capacity for members to discuss, dissect, and challenge individual perspectives” (Shana, June 6, 2016).

Restorative Practices in school allow students and staff to take accountability for their actions. RJ allows them to repair the harm caused by having a face-to-face discussion with two or more willing participants. RP provides the necessary training for students and staff to resolve conflicts through mutual solutions, which build relationships and foster positive school culture.

Why use Restorative Practices at ALHS?

  • Restorative Practices focus on building, maintaining, and when necessary, repairing relationships among all members of the school community thus building a positive school culture.
  • Restorative Practices are based on skill development, self advocacy,  growth and deep learning, and not forcing compliance. 
  • Foundational practices include connection circles, restorative conversations, mediations and conferencing.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Restorative Justice Team

Student Services

At Abraham Lincoln High School, a team of professionals — including a nurse, psychologist, social worker and speech therapist — support our students so they can achieve academic success.

Meet Members of the Lincoln Lancers’ Student Services Team

Photo Name Title Department Email
Ray Lopez Student Engagement Liaison / Student Advisor Support Staff Behavioral team, Support Staff, Student Services ray_lopez@dpsk12.net