Built in 1929, Abraham Lincoln High School has had quite a few notable alumni walk through its doors, including distinguished writers, successful artists, and three scientists who went on to become Nobel laureates. Part of Lincoln's past is etched into the wood-paneled walls of its building. Tablets dating back to the 1930s adorn the hallways with a long running list of alumni and students who have made noteworthy achievements, including triumph over difficult circumstances.

Lincoln is not a place of revolving door leadership. Ari Hoogenboom, appointed principal in 2004 and formerly Lincoln's assistant principal of English, is only the sixth principal in the school's history. His heroes are former principals and current colleagues working in large high schools who make it a priority to establish a personal connection with their students. Hoogenboom seems to have taken their example to heart. He is a recognized figure in the hallways, where students greet him, sometimes with the nickname "Hoogie." They also approach him with ease in his office.

Ninth graders enter "academies" run by a team of teachers and featuring smaller class sizes, as well as longer-than-usual periods in all of the major subjects. Each academy also gathers students together for regularly scheduled "freshman seminars," during which they discuss issues important to them. We saw one group learning effective strategies for note-taking. Hoogeboom believes that academies can counteract the feeling of being overwhelmed that many freshmen experience when they first come to a large high school from a smaller middle school. The smoother the transition, the less likely the kids are to fall behind in their studies, he said.

For Hoogenboom, proof of success is in 9th grade passing rates and attendance rates that, he said, "have shot up" with the introduction of the academies. To be fair, the grading policy has also changed. A teacher told us that in the past 70 percent of a student's grade depended on a final exam, while the exams now account for around 50 percent.

Large schools have some disadvantages--seven lunch periods daily in Lincoln's case--but advantages as well. Lincoln is able to offer numerous Advanced Placement classes. It also is able to field 28 varsity sports teams, including a city championship-winning basketball team, and thanks to its indoor pool, students can take a lifeguard training class, which prepares swimmers for summer jobs at Coney Island.

Although Lincoln struggles to compete with nearby Edward R. Murrow High School for top-performing kids, 8th graders from all over Brooklyn apply for admission to several popular programs. These include the selective Institute for Professions in Science and the Gilder Lehrman Honors Institute for American Studies, both of which draw far more applicants than they have seats. Students in the noted photography studio, equipped with a darkroom, learn both still photography and digital video editing. Their work is published in magazines, and they are sometimes hired to do corporate publicity shots. In the Veterinary Sciences and Animal Care program, students learn to take care of various types of animals; we saw one student trying to get a squawking hawk back into its cage. There is also a room filled with fish tanks that functions as a marine lab.

We saw active lessons and students working together in groups in the classrooms we visited. In an earth science class, students learned laboratory techniques while observing their teacher perform a demonstration with copper sulfate. In preparation for their reading of All My Sons--a play by Lincoln alumnus Arthur Miller exploring family traumas--students in an English class were asked by their teacher to respond to descriptions of provocative scenarios, such as a situation in which a person is in love with a dead sibling's fiancé.

As in most large city schools, there is some concern about safety and violence in the building; one student reported seeing some fighting in the school. In 2005, the city designated Lincoln an "Impact" school, meaning that it needed extra security, and metal detectors and more security guards arrived promptly. Lincoln was removed from the Impact list shortly afterwards, but security is still tight, and the metal detectors remain stationed at one of the school's entrances like an airport security check-point. Hoogenboom said the school has a high suspension rate because the administration has no toleration for fighting. On our visit, the atmosphere was calm and most students were engaged in class.

The school is home to a District 75 program for kids with severe disabilities. Some take classes with Lincoln students, with the help of an aide. "It humanizes us," Hoogenboom said of the interaction between the two groups of students.

The building houses a welcoming United Federation of Teachers teacher center where faculty members may seek advice from a mentor teacher if they don't feel comfortable speaking to a supervisor.

College Admissions: Most college-bound graduates attend state or city colleges; others go to private colleges such as Cornell, Georgetown, Boston University and Fordham. About half of the graduates go on to four year colleges and universities. (Catherine Man, February 2007)