By Dylan SYLVESTER

Racers were flying and crowds were cheering as Lincoln Elementary School celebrated its 90th anniversary on Friday with its infamous Lincoln 500 race.
For this end-of-the-year event, the playground is transformed into a giant racetrack on which five teams of sixth graders race to the finish. The racers do a few laps, make a pit stop, and then switch places with the next member of their team waiting for their turn on the track. Once their helmets are secured, they’re pushed back into the race.

While it might not be Formula One cars that racers are seated in, they are in the five best tricycles Lincoln Elementary School has to offer, making the competitors pedal madly to victory while their classmates cheer them on from the sidelines. On Friday, after a photo finish, the orange team came out on top, receiving their first place trophy made of

Lincoln Logs (no pun intended) and, to their surprise, each member of the team was written a speeding ticket by the visiting deputies from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.
This was a day to not only celebrate Lincoln’s graduating sixth graders, but it was also a very special day for some graduating high school seniors. Students preparing to graduate from Crescenta Valley High School and Clark Magnet High School who, at the same time many years ago, had been celebrating their sixth grade graduation from Lincoln were back on the campus to accept scholarships for their college endeavors.
According to PTA President Rachelle Miller, 22 seniors – former Lincoln Lions – received scholarships, a feat that was made possible by the joint efforts of the school’s PTA, Lincoln Foundation, Sixth Grade Committee, Dads Club and the entirety of the Lincoln Staff.
After the race, the scholarship recipients were offered lunch by the same school that had provided them with so many lunches years ago, and they were able to catch up with former teachers and classmates.
“It’s a cycle,” said Principal Stephen Williams. “We can tell them about the future, but when they come here, they can see the future.”