USD 265-Goddard High School

Congratulations to Junior Riley Schoen for placing 2nd in the nation for the 2nd year in a row at Skills USA Nationals in Atlanta! We are proud of you Riley! Thanks to Mr. Holle at GHS and our friends at WSU Tech for all of their support with this program!

Multiplying Potential: The GHS Math Challenge

For many young students, a high school building can feel intimidating. But for a group of third through eighth-grade USD 265 students, math teacher at Goddard High School Joel Burgeson’s innovative GHS Math Challenge is creating an avenue for excitement, belonging, and highlighting academic success.

The idea sparked after the GHS Math Club competed in regional college math relays during the 2024-2025 school year. Seeing how much his high schoolers benefited from the STEM-focused environment, Mr. Burgeson, with the help of his Math Club students, designed a localized event to “spark and maintain interest in mathematics” for younger USD 265 students, giving them an opportunity to experience their own math competition.

During the half-day event on May 7th , 161 top-performing math students (approximately 20 students from each K-8th Goddard school) got to take part in a brief math lesson, tackled problems aligned with Kansas Math Standards, completed group mathematical activities, and toured Project Lead the Way labs and math classrooms at Goddard High School; finishing off their field trip with lunch alongside GHS Math Club high schoolers. Elementary teachers praised the event, noting “it was so nice to have an extra incentive that motivated students at the end of the school year and celebrated our top math performers with a fun challenge.”

Beyond test scores, this program builds mathematical confidence in our younger USD 265 students. In fact, freshmen who previously experienced the challenge shared that being in the building made them feel “ more confident that they were prepared to make the transition from middle school to high school.”

“Improving student participation in math and other STEM disciplines was the focus of the GHS Math Challenge,” shares Mr. Burgeson. “Increased effort and math achievement will be the immediate measure that students are learning. Looking forward, this Innovative Teacher Grant provides a powerful investment to expand the program to host even more students from across the District in the future. What do you call that kind of District-Wide dedication to STEM? As Mr. Burgeson puts it: “Answer = SUCCESS!”

Thank you Goddard Education Foundation for helping multiply potential for our !

Growing Beyond the Classroom: How the GHS Pollinator Garden is Rooting Science in Real-World Success

At Goddard High School, science education isn't just about reading text or memorizing formulas, it is about getting your hands dirty.

For decades, GHS has been the home of an Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site (OWLS), a mature, native grass and pond ecosystem. It is a beautiful space to look at, but for some students, just looking isn’t enough. As GHS Science Teacher Darcie Lowry notes, “Since the OWLS area is primarily established native perennials and grasses, it is more to look at than work with.” They need to build, tend, and discover the “fruits” of their labor.

With the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant, Mrs. Lowry aims to cover the upfront funding to build a Pollinator Garden to expand the hands-on, outdoor tactile learning students can experience.

Every year, students at GHS have the opportunity to enroll in Ecology. For many of these students, this course is a practical choice for those eyeing a “career-over-college” pathway. These are students who thrive when learning is tactile and directly tied to real adult life. Unfortunately, meaningful hands-on learning often carries a high material cost. Mrs. Lowry explains, “Gardening of any type is a fantastic way to bridge classroom learning to real-life application. Most adults will eventually find themselves interested in gardening of some variety regardless of career.”

While the existing OWLS site offers an incredible ecosystem to observe, it is largely self-sustaining and doesn’t offer very many hands-on opportunities. To bridge this gap, Mrs. Lowry and the GHS science department envisioned a brand-new, highly interactive space located right in front of the school greenhouse. By establishing a dedicated, semi-maintained pollinator garden, science transitions from a passive lecture into an active workspace. To maximize the grant’s impact, the science department has already partnered with District Maintenance and Facilities to provide the topsoil, rock, and w**d barriers at no cost to the program.

Through this Innovative Teacher Grant, the GHS Pollinator Garden will introduce a structured, collaborative layout featuring a rear bed of native perennials and a front rock bed containing a raised garden bed for every lab table group of 2 to 4 students.

The beauty of the GHS Pollinator Garden lies in its long-term viability. While the upfront grant funding is critical to build the infrastructure, the garden is designed to be completely self-sustaining in the years to follow, requiring little to no additional funding as future classes handle the seasonal upkeep.

What starts as a specialized project for 50 Ecology students will blossom to impact nearly every student in the building. The garden will serve as a core resource for Biology classes, a required class for all GHS students, and will remain open to any class looking to take a restorative brain break or read in a vibrant, natural environment.

The garden is already contributing in big ways to the Goddard Community. GHS students helped propagate, cultivate, and grow plants that were used as part of the Goddard Plant Swap in conjunction with Neighbors United in April. This hands-on experience directly reinforces the real-world value of their hard work.

By funding the GHS Pollinator Garden, you are investing in a tangible, lasting resource that gives hardworking, career-minded students the practical skills, pride, and environmental stewardship they need to grow into the leaders of tomorrow.

The Goddard Education Foundation is excited to introduce the Goddard Public Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2026!

Established in 2018, the Hall of Fame celebrates, honors, and recognizes the extraordinary service, success, and achievements of our alumni, retired staff, and dedicated friends of education.

Join us in celebrating the Class of 2026:
* Dan Buchanan, Former Educator & Coach
* Dr. Mary Cohen (Shinogle), Goddard High School Class of 1986
* Jerry Longabaugh, Former Educator, Administrator, and Current USD 265 Board of Education Representative
* Dr. Christopher Warren, Goddard High School Class of 1992
* Dr. Michael Vivion, Goddard High School Class of 1962

Save the Date!
Please join us on September 18, 2026, to celebrate the Class of 2026.
Keep an eye out for event details, registration opens in July.
Stay tuned as we highlight each of our individual inductees in the coming weeks. Let's join together to celebrate the past and inspire the future of Goddard Public Schools.

Congratulations to Cohen Museousky your 5A State Golf Champion!

From Spectators to Scientists: Shattering the Ceiling in Goddard Chemistry Labs

For many high school chemistry students, advanced science can feel overwhelming. While Honors Chemistry students at Goddard High School are capable of grasping complex scientific concepts like intermolecular forces, thermal separation, and purification, their practical experience was hitting a ceiling due to the lack of professional-grade equipment.

With the help of a Goddard Education Foundation (GEF) Innovative Teacher Grant, Goddard High School Chemistry teacher, Jerod Horsch sought to shatter the ceiling by adding professional-grade Liebig condensers to his Honors Chemistry classroom. This project allows him to introduce advanced, multi-step distillation and purification techniques, typically reserved for university-level chemistry courses.

With this equipment, students won’t just read about boiling points; they will actively manipulate them. By having multiple condensers available to students, this innovative grant moves the classroom away from teacher-led demonstrations to true, hands-on collaborative learning.

“This hands-on exposure fosters scientific thinking, strengthens laboratory technique, and bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application," shared Horsch.

Ultimately, this grant isn’t just purchasing glassware, it is investing in confidence. By exposing our Chemistry students to college-level techniques early, we are bridging the gap between high school theory and professional practice, giving them the exact skills and competitive edge they need to become the next generation of STEM innovators.

Thank you, Goddard Education Foundation for your continued investment and support for students and staff of Goddard Public Schools.

GHS Boys T/F Team Results from 5A Hays Regional.