Gooding Elementary School welcomed the Gooding Chapter of Rotary International for lunch.  In exchange, Rotarians presented every third grade student with their own dictionary as part of the international Dictionary Project. The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary.  In addition, fourth grade students took a trip to the local King’s store to purchase toys and necessity items for less fortunate families this holiday season.  The fourth graders created a cookbook and sold the cookbooks throughout the fall to raise money for their charitable donations.  This project is part of a larger unit on money management and business.  Each fourth grade child worked to raise funds, set a budget for purchases, and then actually purchased and delivered the needed items to a local families.

Gooding Middle School celebrated their commitment to academic achievement and leading active lifestyles.  GMS held a recognition assembly for first trimester achievement and also kicked off the “Fuel Up to Play” campaign. The National Dairy Council (NDC), our local Dairy Council and the National Football League (NFL) have formed a long-term partnership to create Fuel Up to Play 60. This program focuses on promoting healthier youth and schools. The ultimate intention of Fuel Up to Play 60 is to engage and inspire youth to take control of their health and wellness. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a student-led program in which students partner with adult advisors to plan and implement healthy eating and physical activity action strategies. To help motivate students to exercise more, principal Cheri Vitek, and teacher, John Swan, weighed in during the assembly and pledged to log their activity and weight loss for the coming months.

Gooding High School students celebrated other cultures around the world with the annual Christmas Culture Day.  In addition, they held a recognition assembly for first trimester achievement and a talent show showcasing GHS talent in the performing arts arena.  Taking top honors in the talent show were Moritz Koellner; Jackie and Elizabeth Bellamy; and Jennifer Perry.  An all school play was held under the direction of the drama department and teacher Brenda Gill.  Students also paid for chances to hit their principal and the high school secretary with a pie.