Gooden Blog

What a wonderful start we have had to the 2026–27 school year! It has been such a joy to see our campus full again, with students reconnecting with friends, teachers welcoming their classes, and new families quickly becoming part of the Gooden community. There is an energy at the beginning of a school year that is hard to describe, and this year feels especially exciting.

Our schoolwide theme this year is “Be the Light.” Throughout the year, we will encourage our students to think about the many ways they can be a light for others through their words, their choices, their actions, and the way they treat the people around them. Sometimes being the light means doing something big, but more often, it is found in the small, everyday moments: including someone, offering encouragement, standing up for what is right, helping without being asked, or simply showing kindness.

This year, our theme takes on special meaning as we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11. As we remember the lives lost that day, we also remember the extraordinary courage, compassion, and selflessness shown by first responders and by ordinary people who stepped forward to help others. Fred Rogers famously encouraged children, in frightening times, to “look for the helpers.” Twenty-five years later, that message still resonates. At Gooden, we want our students to recognize the helpers, but we also want to teach them to become the helpers. To “Be the Light” means noticing when someone needs you, choosing kindness and courage, serving others, and finding ways, both big and small, to make the world around you a little brighter.

That message connects beautifully with Gooden’s long-standing commitment to Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Respect for the World. Throughout the year, we will continue our focus on monthly character traits that help our students explore what those values look like in their everyday lives.

We begin September with Respect & the Golden Rule, followed by Authenticity in October, Service in November, Perseverance in January, Kindness in February, Courage in March, Integrity in April, and Community in May. These traits will be woven into chapel, classroom conversations, and our life together as a school. Our hope is that students will not simply understand these values, but recognize the many opportunities they have each day to live them out and, in doing so, “Be the Light” for others.

And, of course, one of the brightest parts of Gooden is our community. We are looking forward to seeing everyone tonight at our Welcome Back BBQ! It is always a fun way to kick off the year, reconnect with old friends, welcome new ones, and simply enjoy being together.

Thank you to our families, faculty, staff, and students for helping make these first weeks so positive. We have a wonderful year ahead of us, and we cannot wait to see all the ways our Gooden Knights will Be the Light.