Naming a Great Hearts School: Lincoln

In 2015, Great Hearts opened its doors to Archway Lincoln and Lincoln Preparatory in the East Valley of Arizona and was named after President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 and served as the President of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. You (along with Shakespeare) may be asking yourself, “What is in a name?” However, the decision to name this campus was indeed purposeful and intentional.

Naming a Great Hearts campus is never taken lightly, and this school was no exception. “Abraham Lincoln was a man of humble virtue who did and said great things,” recalls founding Lincoln Prep Headmaster, Ben Mitchell. “The decision to name a Great Hearts school after Lincoln was excellent and I’m grateful for the hands that guided the campus to that name in the earliest days.”

“We named the school after the 16th President of the United States because he serves as an example to our students, teachers, and families of heroic statesmanship,” explained Academies Officer and Great Hearts Co-Founder, Dr. Dan Scoggin. “He was courageous and wise at a key juncture in American History (the Civil War) and gave all to preserve the Union for the cause of freedom. In a very important sense, his writing and speeches, given at a time of profound national distress, define what it means to be American.  He is a great-hearted example of how one strives and sacrifices for a good beyond the self.”

“This topic of naming reminds me, too, of how we sought in the early years to establish the good name of Lincoln by using Abraham Lincoln’s own words. It’s like those passages from Beowulf where the question is raised, what do you want your name to be known for?” said Mitchell. Famous quotes from Lincoln’s speeches and writings were often used during assemblies, at concerts, or in community messages on campus. Such as this passage from Lincoln’s famous “Letter to the People of Sangamo County” (March 9, 1832):

“Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in. That every man may receive at least, a moderate education, and thereby be enabled to read the histories of his own and other countries, by which he may duly appreciate the value of our free institutions, appears to be an object of vital importance, even on this account alone, to say nothing of the advantages and satisfaction to be derived from all being able to read the scriptures and other works, both of a religious and moral nature, for themselves. For my part, I desire to see the time when education, and by its means, morality, sobriety, enterprise and industry, shall become much more general than at present, and should be gratified to have it in my power to contribute something to the advancement of any measure which might have a tendency to accelerate the happy period.”

Archway Lincoln is now under the leadership of Dr. Toyin Atolagbe and recently received statewide recognition as the top K-8 school in Arizona.  It is home to over 700 K-5 scholars and all grades at the academy study Latin.  Archway Lincoln also celebrates its multiculturalism as being the most diverse student, faculty, and parent population in the Great Hearts network.

Lincoln Prep is home to over 580 scholars under the leadership of Headmaster Alex Julian. Lincoln Prep has the largest student participation in athletics in the network as well as the highest participation of faculty members who serve as coaches.  The academy is also proud to have over 75 years of combined Great Hearts experience on their leadership team.

Both academies on this esteemed campus continue to flourish and live up to the humble virtue of the great human being they are named for. In the words of Lincoln himself, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.