Lincoln Elementary Magnet
School
1160 W. 10th St.
Riviera Beach, Florida 33404
561-881-4712
561-840-3227 (fax)
The mission of Lincoln Elementary Potential Creative Arts Magnet School is to promote a creative environment where staff, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility for enabling students to produce quality work and be actively engaged in problem solving in a safe, comfortable manner that enhances self-esteem and mutual respect, and student achievement.
I am unique and special
I believe in myself
I am honest and fair
I am responsible for my behavior
I arrive prepared and on time
I treat myself and my world with dignity and respect
I solve conflicts peacefully
I reach for excellence
I achieve success
Lincoln Elementary School is located in north-central Palm Beach County in the city of Riviera Beach. This magnet school has a diverse boundary area, serving students from I-95 to the Atlantic Ocean, including Singer Island. The majority of students are drawn from the parts of Riviera Beach that surround Suncoast High School. Included in these areas are four low-income housing projects. The remaining housing in these areas consist of single-family dwellings and apartment complexes. Under the provision of the School Choice Plan, any student may choose any school in Riviera Beach for attendance.
Not many schools in Palm Beach County, or for that matter, the State of Florida can claim the multi-generational and multi-cultural history of Lincoln Elementary School in Riviera Beach. Many students currently attending have parents and, in some cases, grandparents that were students at Lincoln Elementary or Lincoln High School.
Plans began in 1954 for the construction of a new school to relieve the serious overcrowding that was occurring at other schools in Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. The Palm Beach Post reported on September 7, 1954 that the West Riviera school would not be completed until the end of the first semester. Even fifty years ago, school construction ran behind schedule.
The big day arrived on Tuesday, March 9, 1955. The Palm Beach Post reported that the School Board accepted the West Riviera School as substantially complete and that classes would begin on the following Tuesday. The board complimented the architect, Edgar S. Wortman for his design. The new school included 12 classrooms, an administrative room, a cafetorium, a clinic, a teachers' room, and a library.
Mrs. Hazel St. Clair was appointed as the first principal of the West Riviera School. The cafeteria manager was Mrs. Florida E. McGee and the first janitors were Mr. Geddess Jenkins and Mr. Archie Webber. Mrs. Claretha Roache, an original teacher, reminisced about the wonderful meals cooked in the school cafeteria. Administrators would come from the county office to eat here.
Another teacher from the initial year, Mrs. Leola Gainey, spoke of the 11 teachers that opened the school. Five came from Washington Elementary in Riviera Beach and five from Palmview Elementary in West Palm Beach. One teacher transferred from Boynton Beach. The school opened with most of the students from Washington Elementary and the students from Riviera Beach that were being bused to Palmview Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary.
The following school year, 1955-56, opened with a new principal, Mr. Richard Jemmott. In that year, the name of the school was changed to Lincoln Elementary to honor the past president of the United States. Also, the school colors of green and white were chosen with the mascot - the mustang. Mr. Jemmott remained the principal of Lincoln Elementary for 26 years. He always held to his goal of making the school the best in the county. With the aid of desegregation, he made progress toward that goal. In a 1976 interview, Mr. Jemmott was quoted as saying, "I've always had beliefs about what children should be given to learn, and now I'm beginning to see some of those things realized." After Mr. Jemmott's long tenure, Lincoln has had the benefit of four additional principals, Mr. Alan Carnahan, Dr. Jerome Smith, Mrs. Margaret Brockmiller, and presently, Ms. Francina Bain.
About 1958, the school campus was greatly expanded with the addition of Lincoln High School. The two-floor buildings were built to the west of the elementary school. The high school used the same cafeteria but a separate dining area was added to the west. High school classes were relocated to Kennedy High School after 1964 and the elementary school expanded to encompass the entire campus.
Although Lincoln Elementary School opened in 1955, the original building was demolished and replaced in 1999. The new plant has been under construction since 1997. Because of the need to demolish the old building in order to complete the groundwork of the new plant, the classes were moved to the new building during the summer of 1999. At the time of occupancy the exterior of the site continued to be under major construction and many interior areas were still being corrected posing frequent disruptions. The new physical plant contains 71 classrooms, art labs, music labs, media center, and physical education facilities. There are no portable classrooms. There are still some adjustments being made to the air conditioning.
The staff at Lincoln Elementary School is dedicated and hard working, however there is a high rate of mobility. During the 2001-2002 school year, Lincoln acquired 16 new teachers of which 9 were new to the teaching profession. The overall teaching staff is inexperienced with 40% of the teachers having less that two years teaching experience and 63% having less than five years experience. Of the experience teachers, 25% have graduate degrees.
Beginning in school year 2001-2002, Lincoln acquired Grade Six students as part of a two-year pilot project to relieve overcrowding at J. F. Kennedy Middle School. These classes operate on an independent schedule from the remaining grades at school. Students rotate between the five teachers for the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. They also receive physical education and fine arts instruction.
As of September 25, 2002, school-wide class size averaged 21 students. This included Exceptional Education classes which averaged 10. It also included an average class size of 23 in Kindergarten through Grade Two classrooms. In Grades Three through Five, average class size was 28. In September 2001, 1076 students were enrolled.
The school hosts two to three in-house nurses, pre- and afterschool programs, and School Age Child Care (SACC). Other interventions available to qualified students included: Reading Initiative programs, Helping One Student To Succeed (HOSTS), Breakthrough (Foundations in Literacy) computer-assisted reading program, Reading Recovery (funded through Title I), Discover Literacy First (DLF), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and Exceptional Student Education (ESE).
In 2001-2002, Lincoln Elementary has entered into a partnership with CSR Rinker Materials Corp. through the Partnership to Achieve School Success (PASS) program. This program is sponsored by the South Florida Annenberg Challenge Partnership in collaboration with the Florida Council of 100. The PASS program model provides selected "D" schools with a CEO from the Private Sector and an instructional coach to mentor the principal and advise the School Advisory Council. During the three-year relationship, together they will re-examine school data and the school improvement plan to create a stronger educational and business plan to move the school up to a grade of "A". The Middle School portion of the PASS program serves middle school students (our sixth grade) who have failed at least one academic subject, or are working below grade level, or who have scored in levels 1 or 2 on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT). The program will provide participants with: an opportunity for academic improvement through the use of academic/homework assistance; academic remediation; study skills; personal organizational skills; and goal setting.
Also new to Lincoln will be participation in PICTURING SUCCESS in collaboration with the Armory Art Center. Picturing Success seeks to address the challenges faced by minority populations seeking admission into visual arts magnet programs within Palm Beach County. The program provides for portfolio development, enhanced knowledge and language skills, a broadened experience base, and cultivation of parental support to help meet the demands of participation in magnet school programs within minority communities where out-of-school visual art-making opportunities do not exist.
Lincoln Elementary is very proud of its accomplishments. During 1999-2000, the school earned the prestigious Five-Star Award conferred by the State of Florida Department of Education which recognized total community involvement. The School Age Child Care (SACC) program received the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence. In addition, several staff members received the support of their colleagues by being nominated for various awards and honors including Teacher of the Year, Paraprofessional of the Year, and "I Make a Difference." Many Lincoln staff members have extended learning for students by obtaining alternative financing through grant writing.
Lincoln had many other celebrations during 2000-2001. One third grade teacher presented at the annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. One third grade student placed third in the poetry writing division of the SECME competition and another student placed in the top seven of the Title I Young Authors Award. Our art students were recognized for their talent and several competitions countywide. Beyond the staff and students accomplishments, 103 dedicated volunteers honor our school with their consistent presence. Also, our students benefited from the graciousness and generosity of our business and community partnerships from their many donations of time, money, and materials.
This page last updated August 11, 2002