Zebra Tales

We Applaud You

Thursday, April 21, 2005 By Andrea Ayala

We Applaud You Senior, Elizabeth Troxell, was accepted at Providence University in Rhode Island on a full scholarship. Troxell, who wants to complete a History major, and possibly minor in Political Science says that the most important thing that goes into your education is your own self-motivation. “I guess you could go to a prep school and it might look better on an application to Harvard, but then there’s still no guarantee that you would get in,” said Troxell. Senior, Kyle Hunt, agrees. “It’s (your education) how much you put into it. You could have gone to the best school in the world and still be a slacker.” Hunt, a three year tri-athlete has maintained a steady _._ grade point average throughout high school. Having been accepted at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Hunt will be pursuing a Pre-Law or Political Science degree to prepare him for law school. The quality of education in Lincoln has been a topic of some debate in recent weeks. As Lincoln grows, more and more parents new to the Lincoln community are becoming concerned with the quality of the education their child will have in the Lincoln school system. Parents argue that standardized test scores are not as high as at other schools, and that the percentage of students that go on to a 4-year university directly after Lincoln High School is low, but how much of this information is truly indicative of what your child can accomplish? Senior, Karin Harrington, went to Del Oro High School for her freshman year at her parents’ insistence that Del Oro offered a more impressive academic history. However, Harrington returned to Lincoln High School for her sophomore year. “I ended up spending a whole year doing nothing,” Harrington said, “I cam back, got involved, and am more rounded than I would’ve been. Lincoln is still small enough where if you want to get involved, you can.” Harrington, who plans to go to medical school after completing her undergraduate work, is still deciding between UC Davis and UC Berkeley. Senior, Otis Glenn, is another example of a student who has taken responsibility fro their future. Glenn, ASB President, and track and soccer athlete, will be attending UC Davis this fall. Glenn disagrees with the opinion that attending a more academically reputable high school would have made a difference in his preparation for college, saying that his own desire to continue with higher education and do well in life was enough to drive him to excel. “There’s this stigma about how you can’t get a good education in Lincoln,” Glenn said, “But it’s really just a stigma that’s been built up over the years and is slowly being broken down.” It is students like Glenn, Troxell, Hunt, and Harrington that are slowly breaking down this stigma. All four of these students have been in the Lincoln school system at least five years; Troxell has been attending Lincoln schools for 13 years. These students could have gone to any school in the country and succeeded, because an education is what you make of it; these students were self-motivated and went beyond their comfort zone to achieve. While the success of students like Glenn, Troxell, Hunt, and Harrington certainly disprove the opinion that education in Lincoln is inferior, there is still much left to be desired in Lincoln High School’s preparation of college-bound seniors. One commonly voiced concern among seniors is the lack of information about important national scholarships and required tests like the SAT II’s and ACT, as well as information about the CSS profile required for financial aid at most private universities. “The majority of attitudes (in Lincoln) is ‘Oh, I can go to Sierra for two years, then transfer,’” Harrington said, “The attitude needs to be that you should attempt to go to a four-year. There needs to be more general encouragement; in this day and age you need an education beyond high school.” The resources for a successful high school career are available at LHS, but as more and more students apply to four-year universities, it is important that the school begins to provide more information for the college-bound student. Lincoln is a community highly focused on vocational training, and while that is certainly important, it is becoming increasingly more important to focus on preparing students for college, as today even a bachelor’s degree is not competitive enough in most applicant pools. The Lincoln community has always looked out for its students. A good education is not only possible in Lincoln, it is readily available for any student who is willing to make an effort. Talk to your counselors, teachers, and other students about what resources are available to you. Take the time to get involved in extra-curricular activities, and take advantage of opportunities like the free SAT prep classes that were recently cancelled due to lack of interest. A good education begins when you first show an interest in your own future.