Goshen Community Schools

Builders Club

Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high students, with more than 45,000 members worldwide. 
GJHS Builders Club will meet on the second Tuesday of each month; from 4-5 p.m. in room 256.  We will often meet on the 4^th Tuesday of the month to provide a service opportunity. 

Objective: To provide opportunities for working together in service to school and community. To develop leadership potential. To foster the development of strong moral character. To encourage loyalty to school, community, and nation.

Club Sponsors: N/A

Chess Club

Chess Club will take place on Tuesdays from 3:45-5:00 p.m. and is open to 7^th and 8th-grade students at all playing levels. There is a 10$ fee. It starts in early October and runs until the state tournament in March. This includes a winter tournament and tryouts for the state tournament team.

Club Sponsors: Joe Riegsecker

Colorado Trip

The “P.E. in the Rockies” backpacking trip is an elective summer course/trip offered to 8th-grade students who complete the school year in good standing through an application process. Students will meet for three six-hour mandatory classroom sessions in April/May and then participate in a fifteen-day sightseeing and backpacking trip to Colorado in July.  Those who complete the classroom experience can earn one high school Physical Education credit.

The trip portion of the course includes visits to Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods), Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Telluride, the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area, the Ouray Hot Springs, and whitewater rafting on the Colorado River. Students tent camp along the way, sharing a tent and camping equipment with a partner they have selected from the group.  The trip culminates in a five-day wilderness experience during which students hike, explore, and put into practice the wilderness skills they have learned in the classroom.

Club Sponsors: Matt Katzer and Ana Kaufman

Drama Club/GJHS Musical

“Drama Club is open to any GJHS student who loves to act and sing.  Drama Club students are introduced to acting techniques, vocal production for theatre, playwriting, and theatre costuming/make-up. The culminating event for the drama club this school year will likely be a play performance. More information on that to come. Students who are interested in working behind the scenes (lighting, sound, set design, stage handling, costuming) are also encouraged to be a part of the Drama Club.”

Club Sponsor: David Lounsbury

Latino Club

We meet every second Tuesday of the month. Latino club is a club where you can learn about dances, geography, customs, food, games, watch movies, and special activities from all Latin American countries. Everyone is welcome!

Latino Club tendrá su primera reunión el 7 de septiembre en el salón 110, de 4 a 5 p.m. Nos reunimos cada segundo martes del mes. Latino club es un club donde puedes aprender sobre bailes, geografía, costumbres, comida, juegos, ver películas y actividades especiales de todos los países latinoamericanos.

¡Todos son bienvenidos!

Club Sponsor: Vilma Padilla

National Junior Honor Society

Membership is based on five qualifications: scholarship, citizenship, character, leadership, and service. NJHS members do not meet on a regular basis but participate in several projects throughout the school year, such as packing boxes for Feed The Children and volunteering at various local events. Members also help organize and carry out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients fundraiser and the Ecophones Recycling fundraiser. In addition, new members complete a minimum of two hours of tutoring/volunteering for GJHS or our community. 

We meet every other week on Friday at 7:45 a.m.

Club Sponsor: Joe Vance & Cally Erb

Student Council

Student Council is an organization of students from grades  7 – 8 who are chosen each year to act as leaders at GJHS.  These students are responsible for promoting school spirit, completing service projects, and serving as representatives and role models for the student body.  A few of the events sponsored by the Student Council each year include Red Ribbon Week, the annual carnation and Santa-gram sales, and GJH Hoops Night. Members of the Student Council also receive leadership training each school year.

Meeting Dates & Times: Meetings are scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.  Special meetings are scheduled as needed for planning events throughout the year.

Club Sponsor: Honey Storlie

Washington D.C. Trip

The is the week after school lets out. The trip comes at a cost and is open to all current 8th-grade students. We get to visit awesome places like the Washington Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Museums. You and your friends can sign up, hang out in a 4-star hotel together, and make lifetime memories! Spots are filling up quickly! If you want more information, please contact Kaylee Shepherd from Goshen Jr. High. (kshepherd@goshenschools.org)

Club Sponsor: Kaylee Shepherd

School counselors at Goshen Junior High School believe that all students deserve the instruction and services needed to prepare for success at the next educational level, including sound counseling services. Therefore, the Goshen Junior High School Counseling program provides a safe and supportive comprehensive school counseling program, collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure equal access to all through classroom instruction and individual and small group counseling. Students are empowered to pursue academic and vocational success, overcome challenges that interfere with learning, and become engaged citizens who enrich our present and future world.

Programming:

The GJHS School Counseling program follows the guidelines of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model which includes services around the domains of:

• Academic
• College/Career/Post-secondary
• Employability Skills

and includes direct services to students such as:

• Classroom guidance
• Small group support/counseling
• Individual support & counseling

as well as indirect student services such as:

• Consultation with parents, school staff, and outside agencies
• Collaborative support
• Referrals to outside agencies

Resources

Scholarship Information:

• 21st Century Scholars
• Blakesley Scholarship (for 8th-grade Algebra or Geometry students)
• Miscellaneous Scholarships available for Junior High School students
  • Junior High School students may not know where they want to go to college or what they want to study, but thinking about paying for college can be intimidating for their parents. Below are scholarships and contests for students in junior high schools.
    • jlvcollegecounseling
    • LearnMore Indiana Campaign (see your school counselor for details)

Bullying Issues

• Is it bullying?
• Helpful Links:
  • Pacer
  • StopBullying
  • BlogSpot

What parents should know:

• Common Sense Media
  • Cyberbullying
  • Facebook, Instagram, and Social Media 
  • Screen time
  • Technology
• A Parent’s Guide to Facebook
• A Parent’s Guide to Instagram
• A Parent’s Guide to Snapchat

Cybersafety:

• TipLine to report sexual exploitation
• 15 Tips for Teens

Drug Testing

The life of a GJHS student is exciting and educational. Students attend math, English, science, and social studies every day throughout the year. Life skills classes round out a student’s schedule, with options of music, foreign language, technology, art, family and consumer science, and physical education.

There are many extra-curricular activities for students, such as athletics, service clubs, academic competitions, the National Junior Honor Society, and student council. For those students wishing to become involved at GJHS, there is no shortage of opportunities.

In order to provide a safe, inviting climate at GJHS, we ask all students and staff to embrace four general guidelines. These include showing respect to all, being prepared for class, actively participating in class, and being on time. These guiding principles help to ensure an environment that is conducive to student’s academic, emotional, and social well-being.

 There are two hardwood floor gymnasiums, a swimming pool, and a fitness and wellness room. Our outdoor facilities include a football field, a soccer field, and ten tennis courts. The outdoor space is also used to offer many other opportunities such as golf, archery, and ultimate frisbee.

Click here for the GJH Newsketter