ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The dreamer stood before many young faces of America’s future on Friday and delivered to them the most important lesson of all.
“Don’t stop dreaming,” Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School Founder and Chief Executive Oficer Sandra Figueroa-Torres said.
“More people said we couldn’t do this than said we could. But here we are.”
Where they were was at the ribbon-cutting on the 17-year-old charter school’s new $16.8 million building for fourth- through eighth-graders on East Cedar Street.
The impressive 47,000-square-foot, red-brick-and-plate-glass-windows building features:
● A full-service cafeteria with 220 seats, creating a welcoming space for students to enjoy meals together.
● A state-of-the-art science lab to spark curiosity and hands-on discovery.
● A second gymnasium and a new auditorium, perfect for athletics, performances and schoolwide events.
● Twenty-five new classrooms, each designed to encourage creativity, collaboration, and academic excellence.
'A shovel and a promise'
The school, which opens Tuesday, represents the culmination of a journey that began in October 2023, when LLACS held its ground-breaking ceremony under the theme “Breaking Ground for More.”
That milestone marked the first step in transforming a vision into reality.
The project architect was J2A Architect, of Philadelphia. The contractor was Penn Builders of Quakertown, Bucks County.
As Lincoln Leadership unveils its completed facility, the theme has evolved to “Built for More.”
It signifies not only the construction of a building, but the creation of expanded opportunities for students, families, teachers and the community.
“Two years ago, we stood on this ground with a shovel and a promise,” middle school teacher Dylan Spraguer said. “Today, here we are.”
The $16.8 million project is adjacent to the middle school and across the street from the high school. It took 18 months to complete.
'I was a dreamer'
Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the entrance to the school, upbeat music — “Celebration,” by Kool and the Gang, for one — played, as several speakers addressed the gathering.
“This is not just a ribbon-cutting. This represents a commitment to the future of our children."Carol Landis, Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School Foundation
“This is not just a ribbon-cutting,” Carol Landis of the LLACS Foundation said. “This represents a commitment to the future of our children.
“To the students, this is your home for the next few years — take care of it and explore.”
Anushka Mendez, an art teacher and former Lincoln student, emphasized the school and its staff are more than a place to learn.
“Lincoln is a second family,” she said.
Malcolm Hauck, an incoming fifth-grader, called the new school a place that will be “an exciting and enjoyable place to learn in new, clean classrooms.”
“The school will be a welcoming area that will create a better working environment," Malcolm said. “I’m especially excited to play on the pristine basketball court.”
Sandra Figueroa-Torres had a dream.
On Friday, she stood proudly before its reality.
And, at one point, in tears.
On Thursday, the foundation’s board of directors voted to name the new school the Sandra Figueroa-Torres Elementary School.
“Hearing that was humbling,” she said. “This is all about love. It’s a calling. This place is a dream. I was a dreamer.”
