By Olivia Clark, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
On December 3, 2025, the students of the Lincoln High School showed off their hard work at ‘Big Night,’ the end-of-the-semester student exhibition.
Students in the Small Schools – the School of Media Arts & Entertainment, the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Engineering & Design – each had their own sections of campus for students to show off their presentations and projects, a culmination of a semester of learning.
“How can I make my community a better place?” was the central question driving the projects of Lincoln students. Adam Armas, Community School Coordinator at Lincoln High, identified the importance of preparing students for a career and community-centric life after graduating from Lincoln. “We’re trying to be more hands-on, real-life ready…we always say talent is equally distributed but opportunity isn’t,” he said.
After a free food-truck-catered dinner hosted in the Center Quad, the close to 300 students and family members congregated in the theater for a student-led and moderated opening presentation for the night. The presentation was complete with student projects ranging from robotic t-shirt cannons to hand-made quilts made from recycled materials to a report on the importance of mental health access for immigrant communities in San Diego County, and culminated in a raffle.
The evening was spent participating in something of a scavenger hunt as students and guests alike walked all around campus, seeking out new information and inspiring student projects. Maps were provided to those unfamiliar with the school.
From the Art Quad to the Center Quad, from the New Gym to the 500s Quad and Classrooms, the campus was alive and buzzing with excitement and relief of another semester of hard work coming to a close. The campus-famous Buzz Cafe sat right outside the library and acted as a mid-exhibition pick-me-up for families and students that wanted a nice cup of coffee, hot cocoa, or a little snack. The mobile coffee cart was playing music and smiles were passed all around as students and teachers shared in the joy and fun of the night.
One student, 11th grader Anthony White, did his Ethnic Studies project on the topic of colonization and its history in America. He stood right next to his poster in the library, ready to present to any and all who wanted to learn more and engage with his work. “I’ve been really nervous. I just have to remember that I have God by my side,” he said with a smile as he looked over his project, a tri-fold poster with hand-drawn illustrations and hand-written explanations, with pride.
Schephathia Dieujuste, a 12th grader, did her end-of-semester project for the school of Health Sciences on the importance of leg splinting. She giggled and smiled as she recounted how much fun she has working on her project in collaboration with her friends and with the help of her teachers.
The current semester ends on December 19. Students and teachers will now reflect on their projects and the processes of working on them. Now, teachers must ask and students must sit with new questions: how will they use these experiences to apply for jobs? To be active community members?
As the night wound down and families began to leave, there were pats on the back and high fives shared among teachers and staff. “It’s pretty exhilarating, and I’m proud. I have to get used to this feeling,” said Rachel Angeles, Instructional Coordinator at Lincoln and one of the main administrators that worked to put the student exhibition together. Angeles, a long-time project-based learning teacher, had taught at Lincoln for one year before jumping into her current administrative role five months ago. “I’m learning to be on the other end as an administrator and supporting all teachers versus being the one teacher who’s just supporting my students in the project. So it’s just, it’s really powerful,” she said with an incredibly infectious energy and joy.
For full stories and photos only published in print, pick up a paper at a newsstand near you, or check out the latest edition of our newspaper on Thursday each week.
