Lincoln principal stresses literacy and fun for students

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Monique Flickinger, new principal at Lincoln Junior High, aims to make school more fun for students this year.

As part of her "work hard/play hard" philosophy, she is planning special activities for those who reach their goals--especially in literacy.

"We will have an unrelenting focus on literacy for all students," said Flickinger. "We're in the information age, and students need to be masters of information."

The new principal is already working with teachers on ways to integrate reading and writing into more classroom subjects. For the English language learners, trained coaches will work with teachers to help them help their students.

Already on Lincoln's agenda this fall is the "reading challenge," which will require students to do a certain amount of reading by a given deadline. Those who meet the challenge will be treated to a "Food Fear Factor Assembly," an event sure to appeal to teens. Students will have the opportunity to eat delicacies like crickets, mealworms and clam milkshakes while their fellow teens enjoy the show.

Except for special events like these, Lincoln is likely to be a little quieter this year. Flickinger wants Lincoln students to "turn off the electronics and turn on to education." To implement the idea, students must power down their cell phones and will not be allowed to have iPods on their persons.

Flickinger also wants to instill more school pride in Lincoln students. "Lincoln is noted for its service projects," she pointed out, such as last year's completion of a Habitat for Humanity home. The school won Habitat's Platinum Hammer Award for that major effort. Flickinger intends to bring achievements such as this to the forefront.

A Canadian from Alberta, Flickinger earned her bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University in Utah. Her master's degree is from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, and she is currently working on a doctoral degree from the University of Wyoming. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Brad, who teaches technical education at Webber Junior High, and they have two children.

Flickinger came to Fort Collins from Evanston Middle School in Evanston, Wyo., where she was principal for two years. She was also assistant principal at a middle school in Washington and has taught special education, alternative education, math and education for the deaf.

Flickinger also brings experience from outside the education field. For seven years, she published three weekly newspapers in Alberta, an enterprise that earned her the "Young Entrepreneur of Canada" award in 1994. She values that out-of-school experience and its relevance to her present career.

"You know what you're sending kids into, and how important working skills are," she commented.

At Lincoln, Flickinger enjoys the diversity of the student population and the can-do attitude of the staff. "These are some of the strongest staff members I've ever met," she said. In fact, the unofficial staff motto is to do "whatever it takes" to help students learn and be successful.

Lincoln has suffered from declining enrollment in the past few years, and Flickinger hopes to change that trend. Part of the problem, she said, is that "parents don't understand all that Lincoln has to offer." She plans to meet with parents of elementary school students so parents can "make an informed decision" about the best junior high - or middle school, which will be the model in a few years - for their children.

Lincoln is currently an International Baccalaureate school, and Flickinger intends to stay with that approach. "It's really about best practices in learning," she said, whereby students are given the tools to analyze, implement change and be lifelong learners. In today's fast-changing world, she noted, young people need analytical skills and continued learning whether they are heads of companies or auto mechanics.

Flickinger admits that a person has to be "part crazy to work in middle school," but she's one who enjoys these young citizens of the world. "They can be 3 and 30 all in the same day," she said with affection. "I feed off their energy, and I rejuvenate by being with this age group."