Leadership Opportunities for the Gooden School Students

Community Engagement
Service-learning best demonstrates Gooden’s commitment to weaving the school motto Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Respect for the World into the very fabric of the school experience. Grade level community engagement projects allow teachers and students to dig deeply into a topic such as third grade does with homelessness each year, while our school-wide relationship with Friends In Deed affords Gooden School students a chance to give back at a developmentally appropriate level to one organization. Younger students collect hotel toiletries which are donated to Friends In Deed. Middle school students work in the food pantry, while parents and teachers volunteer for the inclement weather shelter during the winter.

Buddy Program
A longtime tradition at The Gooden School is the Buddy Program. Younger students are paired with students in higher grades and throughout the year, big and little buddies share many common experiences including sitting together in chapel and partnering for special school events. This unique program provides younger students with a sense of security as they are shepherded by the oldest members of the student body and gives older students a chance to serve as mentors for our younger students.

Student Council and The Knight’s Scroll
Gooden’s Middle School Students are given the opportunity, with guidance by faculty members, to develop skills they can use in high school, college, and beyond by serving on either student council or as a staff member of the school paper. While engaging in the duties and responsibilities of serving on either student council or The Knight’s Scroll, students in sixth through eighth grades develop real-world problem-solving skills, become better at collaborating and working in a group, mature as public speakers, hone their writing skills, and help promote the character and culture of The Gooden School.

The Gooden School, 192 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre, (626) 355-2410 or visit www.goodenschool.org.