A long and storied history…
Lincoln Academy is an independent secondary school that serves students from Midcoast Maine communities, New England, the U.S., and the world.
LA was founded in 1801 to serve local students who wanted to continue their education past elementary school, because towns were not required to provide education past the primary level. At this time, Maine was still part of Massachusetts. While the Commonwealth of Massachusetts gave a grant of land to fund the school, tuition was paid by the students’ families.
This early version of school choice remained until 1904, when the Maine legislature required municipalities to provide secondary education. Since Lincoln Academy had been operating successfully for 100 years, towns in the Damariscotta-Newcastle area chose not to establish a new public high school, but to continue to pay tuition to L.A. The Academy has continued to be the ‘secondary school of choice’ for the area.
In 1957, the Sinclair Act was passed, which ‘consolidated’ many school systems. At this time, many independent schools closed their doors, became independent schools or became public high schools. L.A. is one of the ten independent schools that continued to serve students from their area towns and beyond.
A sketch of the LA campus by Disney artist and Lincoln Academy graduate Jake Day ’10
Comprehensive Education
The Academy has expanded its program and its campus to serve the growing populations in the Midcoast. The curriculum provides courses in all subjects and on all levels from introductory to Advanced Placement. Clubs and sports teams offer opportunities for service, leadership, team-building, public speaking, and creativity.
Lincoln Academy’s mission is to be a comprehensive high school that serves the needs of all students. This means that LA maintains a wide range of courses in all disciplines at all levels. The majority of the students come from the local area. However, the school has added a boarding program and is now also welcoming students from all over the world.
Lincoln Academy is governed by an independent Board of Trustees. As established by the charter granted in 1801, trustees are not elected officials but are selected for their knowledge, skills, and dedication to the mission of the school. Lincoln Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and belongs to the Maine Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, and the National Association of Independent Schools.
All students who attend Lincoln Academy choose to do so. Students in towns that do not have a public high school may choose to attend any high school they wish, and their tuition is paid from the towns to that school.
Contact:
burroughs@lincolnacademy.org
Jeff Burroughs started his work at Lincoln Academy in July 2019 as our 44th Head of School. Jeff was the Assistant Headmaster for Academics at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, a ninth-grade through postgraduate town academy of 970 students which shares the town academy structural and funding model with Lincoln Academy. An engineer by training, Mr. Burroughs worked for seven years as an IBM program manager before beginning his tenure at St. Johnsbury Academy. Preceding IBM, he spent a number of years at the Hyde School in Bath, where Mr. Burroughs had a number of roles, including math teacher, Director of Admission, and Assistant Headmaster. Jeff lives in Newcastle with his wife, Melissa, also an educator. The couple has three children: Jeb, 22, is a senior at Chapman University in California; Andrew, 19, is a junior at University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Eliza, 18, also attends the University of King’s College.
duffy@lincolnacademy.org
Kelley Borg Duffy became a social studies teacher in part because it was the only discipline where she felt she could integrate all her academic loves: science, literature, data and history. A native Vermonter and daughter of educators, Kelley went to boarding school in Massachusetts and college in Pennsylvania. After college, she went on to teach in Philadelphia PA, Albuquerque NM, Switzerland, and Venezuela. She met her husband while taking a Wilderness EMT class in Maine, and found herself drawn back to New England. Before joining Lincoln Academy's social studies department, Kelley taught at Wiscasset High School. She and her husband are raising two daughters, two dogs, and a cat, and she spends most of her free time hiking, paddling, camping, and gardening - while always looking for opportunities to travel.
Academic Affiliations:
B.A. Political Science, Swarthmore College
M.A. Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine
National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)
macmillan@lincolnacademy.org
Don has been an educator for most of his professional career and has been fortunate enough to wear many hats along the way. Most recently Don was working on establishing international campuses for Shattuck-St. Mary's School for the past four years, but he is very pleased to be part of the ebb and flow of school life at LA. Don lives in Bath with his wife Georgia. They have three adult children and two grandsons and are always looking forward to the next opportunity for a family reunion.
Academic Affiliations:
Bowdoin College, BA in Psychology
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M.
Antioch New England Graduate School, MA in Counseling Psychology
pierpan@lincolnacademy.org
Deanna Pierpan grew up in Massachusetts and spent a lot of time visiting her husband's parents and her grandparents and cousins all over Maine. It was a natural progression and long time goal of moving to Midcoast Maine with her husband and children that was realized in 2018. Deanna spent much of her professional career managing software development projects for various consulting firms and asset management companies in New England and Europe, but more recently has been an office manager in real estate and healthcare. Combining these experiences with a desire to engage with her community, led her to being a part of the Lincoln Academy community as Mr. Burrough's assistant. Her son, Harrison is in the class of 2023 and her sons, Hamilton and Anderson are in the class of 2026.
