Overview:
Abraham Lincoln High School is rebranding as part of its 65th anniversary celebrations to improve its image.
Abraham Lincoln High School has been serving Denver’s southwest community since its inception in 1959. In celebration of its 65th anniversary, there has been an active effort to improve the school’s image.
“It is important to have a new rebranding, because in doing so, you’re showing the community that you are interested in moving forward, in creating a new story,” said principal Néstor Bravo. He started his career at Denver Public Schools (DPS) Abraham Lincoln High School 15 years ago, and has returned home to keep serving its community—this time as Lincoln’s principal, where he has set his sights on improving the school’s culture and image.
Years of low academic performance and negative public perception prompted the rebranding through an innovation plan that was proposed by Denver Public Schools and approved by the State Board in March 2024. It gives Lincoln until 2026 to show progress.
One of the biggest and most noticeable changes that have been made so far is Lincoln’s logo. The school’s old logo was inconsistent: one day it would be a silver and black Lancer head, and other days it would be simply black and white. Fonts and colors on school uniforms would vary depending on the sport, creating a disordered look and a disconnection between Lincoln’s extracurriculars.
This unreconciled way of branding made Lincoln’s image confusing from a marketing standpoint. Photography teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School, Virginia Buhl, argued that it has “a confusing identity right now.” She suggests that the rebranding is an opportunity to clarify and bring new life to the school’s image, making the efforts and strengths more visible to the community.
The creation of the new logo was originally presented by DPS, but it had received negative feedback from the school’s community. The logo was bland and soulless, and multiple students felt like the designs didn’t properly represent the school. Another round of potential logos was given to the school, but they were received with the same reception. After receiving clearance from the principal, Buhl, who is also a graphic designer, decided to create a logo with the help of her students.
“We have a CSC committee here, which is a school collaborative committee, where we meet with community members and we get their input on the vision and the direction for the school,” Buhl said. “And that meets once a month, and so we’ve gotten input from everybody, we’ve done surveys over the last couple years.”
Buhl emphasizes that Lincoln’s rebranding takes into account the neighborhood’s transient and growing population. Lincoln’s rebranding quickly became something that students and the community could actively participate in, allowing students to cement their place in Lincoln’s growing legacy.
“The community is really strong,” Buhl said. “The community is changing. There’s a lot of new people coming in, and we want people to realize, ‘Hey, this is a staple in this community, and we want you to be a part of it.’”
Students in Buhl’s classes have also dedicated themselves to creating murals for the school, which are collages of photos from previous Lincoln students dating back as far as 1959. The rebranding initiative sparked a desire to honor Lincoln’s deep history.
Students spent hours looking through old yearbooks, connecting with the past through black and white photographs with faded cursive letters dating back decades. They discovered that extracurricular activities and sports were always prominent in the school’s culture, and they recognized the faces of family members who had previously attended Lincoln. Lincoln’s rebranding was both forward-looking and reflective of the past.
“The Lancer will remain, but now it looks like the Lancer is moving forward,” Bravo said. “I like the idea of the Lancer representing that movement forward towards where we’re going with a shield, and a sword ready to tackle challenges.”
All the aspects that gave Lincoln’s logo its signature identity are still there, now only enhanced with a pop of color and a more dynamic, contemporary style. The new logo and imagery convey a sense of movement in progress towards future success, it offers a symbolic message that things are changing and improving, while also ensuring that Lincoln’s history is not overshadowed.
“I think it’s a lot clearer, the design is more cohesive, and makes it obvious what our mascot is,” said Sophia Virgil, a student at Abraham Lincoln High School. “The identity is stronger.”
Lincoln is currently going through a very transitional year, particularly with Bravo as the new principal. He is introducing new approaches that create a sense of vulnerability; there is an interaction of the old and new, as well as the intersection of multiple perspectives, which makes the school culture feel fragmented.
But Bravo assures the community that this will not last forever, and that it is only temporary while the school develops a new vision to move forward.
“I love Lincoln, and I want to see it succeed,” said Grega Gallegos, an English teacher at Lincoln. “And if a rebranding is necessary for that, then I’m all for it.”
