ghs news

Check out this week's updates, information, and upcoming events at Goochland High School. The Bulldog Bulletin is your weekly look into the great things happening at GHS. Go Bulldogs!

💥💥Student Recognitions💥💥

Fall Drama Production - Congratulations to the GHS Drama Department for their amazing performances last weekend of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Our Bulldog students dedicated so much time and effort to creating a magical experience for their audiences. Bravo!

Student-Athletes of the Month - We are excited to announce our October student-athletes who excel at balancing academics and athletics while displaying leadership and hard work. October’s winners are Cameron Dowdy and Andrew Craddock. Cameron is a freshman cheerleader and Andrew is a senior linebacker on the football team. These individuals are great representatives of our school and exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete. Congratulations Cameron and Andrew - thank YOU for representing our Bulldog Family!

Student School Board Representative - Congratulations to 11th graders, Emmerson McCourt and Sam Farkas. Both of these students were selected to serve as a student school board representative beginning in January 2025. All of the nominees did a fabulous job during their interviews on Tuesday. Our Bulldog Family is excited for Emmerson and Sam to represent our GCPS student body with the school board.


THIS WEEK at GHS

Be YOUnified Campaign - Throughout the week, Goochland High School will be joining in on a campaign, sponsored by Special Olympics VA, to promote inclusion in our school and community. Students will have the opportunity to sign a banner during their lunches to help advocate for the acceptance of all individuals as we strive to create a more Unified culture at our school. Please see the link for more information. If you have any specific questions, please contact Mr. Farkas (wfarkas@glnd.k12.va.us). 

ACA Orientation - Class of 2028 ACA students and newly admitted Class of 2027 ACA students are cordially invited, along with their parents, to attend ACA Orientation on Monday, November 4th, at 6:30 pm. This virtual event will feature an overview of the program, including recent curriculum changes, that will help families plan over the next four years (including summers). Topics covered will include dual enrollment fee projections, course requirements, academic standards, additional supports, and transferability of credits. We look forward to seeing you online at this Google Meet!

GCPS Closed - All GCPS schools will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th for election day. Our Bulldog staff will be participating in virtual professional development.

Young Dogs Wrestling (Youth Wrestling in Goochland) - Goochland Young Dogs Club (Youth Wrestling – ages 5 to 11) is officially starting this year. There will be a kick-off meeting on Wednesday, November 6th at 5:45 pm at the OLD Goochland Elementary School (3150 River Road West). Any interested parents and wrestlers should plan on attending. Officially, the youth wrestling season runs from November 19th to February 13th. The practices will be on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at the OLD GES. There will be official competitions at points during the season with the Richmond Metro Youth Wrestling League. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Wampler (jwampler@glnd.k12.va.us) or Coach Harris (carpbobharris@gmail.com). 

Goochland Christmas Mother Food Drive - It is time once again for us to help our community in need through the Goochland Christmas Mother Food Drive. GHS will be collecting canned food from Wednesday, November 6th - Thursday, November 14th. The food will be picked up on Friday morning, November 15th. Please bring in canned meats, peanut butter, or pork & beans for the Christmas Mother. Get ready for a friendly competition - the 1st Block class that brings in the most cans will win a yummy prize. If you have any specific questions, please contact Ms. Salazar (ssalazar@glnd.k12.va.us).

AP Exam Registration - TWO WEEKS UNTIL DUE DATE - There are two weeks left to register for an AP exam! Please register by Friday, November 8th. Students in Advanced Placement Courses have the option to take the AP exam associated with that course. Higher scores on the exam can result in possible college credit depending on the college/university. More information and test registration can be located HERE. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Rainbolt (srainbolt@glnd.k12.va.us). 

All Night Graduation - Be sure to mark your calendars for our Fall Bingo Night on Saturday, November 9th in the GHS cafeteria. The doors will open at 5:30 pm and the games will begin at 6:00 pm. Please come out for a fun night of gift card bingo, lots of awesome raffle prizes, and a 50/50 raffle. You can purchase your presale bingo cards at River Road Cottage. Presale cards will be $20 ($25 at the door). 

Athletics and Activities - Please visit www.GoochlandBulldogs.com for up-to-date schedule information. Many of these events can be streamed live at www.NFHSNetwork.com. Feel free to contact Mr. Fowler (jfowler@glnd.k12.va.us) if you have any questions or need more information. 

THIS MONTH at GHS 

Cheerleading Tryouts - Cheerleading tryouts for the winter sideline season will be held on  November 11th and 12th. We will meet in the GHS cafeteria at 3:35 pm each day. An interest meeting will be held on Thursday, November 7th in Coach Stuck's Room (H194) during Bulldog Block. Please email Coach Stuck (mstuck@glnd.k12.va.us) and she can create a pass for the interest meeting. You can also go by her room and sign up at her door. Please visit this link for tryout information and forms/applications that must be completed before tryouts. Please message Coach Jackson through Canvas or email (mjackson@glnd.k12.va.us) with any questions!

Veterans’ Day Ceremony - On Monday, November 11th, GHS will hold our annual Veterans’ Day Ceremony at 9:30 am in the school auditorium. Please wish our MCJROTC Cadets and Band members luck as we celebrate America and those brave few who answered her clarion call to serve in her defense.

BRVGS Spirit Week- The BRVGS Student Leadership Council has helped plan a BRVGS Spirit Week for the Week of November 11th-November 15th. 

Monday, November 11th- Blue Day

Tuesday, November 12th - Silly Socks Day

Wednesday, November 13th - BRVGS Shirt Day
Thursday, November 14th - Flannel Day

Friday, November 15th - College/ Future Friday

Winter Sports - Winter sports start at Goochland High School in a few weeks.  Here is information for various sports:

  • Boys Basketball: Monday, November 11th - Contact Coach Gordon at prgordon@glnd.k12.va.us for more information.

  • Girls Basketball: Monday, November 11th -  Contact Coach Kempf at wkempf@glnd.k12.va.us for more information.

  • Indoor Track:  Monday, November 11th at 3:45 pm at the GHS Stadium/Track. Contact Coach Jackson at tjackson@glnd.k12.va.us for more information. 

  • Swim: Monday, November 18th at the Goochland YMCA. Contact Coach Brown at abrown@glnd.k12.va.us for more information. 

  • Winter Cheer: Cheerleading tryouts for the winter sideline season will be held on November 11th and 12th. We will meet in the GHS cafeteria at 3:35 pm each day. An interest meeting will be held on Thursday, November 7th in Coach Stuck's Room (H194) during Bulldog Block. Please email Coach Stuck (mstuck@glnd.k12.va.us) and she can create a pass for the interest meeting. You can also go by her room and sign up at her door. Please visit this link for tryout information and forms/applications that must be completed before tryouts.

  • Wrestling: Monday, November 11th, at 3:45 pm in the GHS Cafeteria. Contact Coach Wampler at jwampler@glnd.k12.va.us for more information. To any families with young men and women who are planning on wrestling this season, due to a very high interest in wrestling this year, we will be using all of the first 3 days of practice (November 11th - 13th) as tryouts for the team. We are planning on keeping a large number of these athletes, but at this point, some cuts will still have to happen. We'll be focusing on skill, athleticism, experience, effort, character, and need (at a given weight class).

All participants must have a physical dated after May 1st, 2024 to participate. We look forward to seeing our athletes in action this winter!

Mini Energy Fair at GHS during Lunches - Have you ever thought about a career in Energy? Are you interested in learning what job opportunities are available and up and coming in the energy industry? If so, please visit and speak to the representatives from several branches within the energy sector, including those from Dominion Energy, during lunches on Thursday, November 14th. This event is hosted by the GHS Academy of Sustainable Energy and will provide you with a chance to speak, one-on-one, with employers from areas such as the solar energy field, nuclear power facilities, and the electric side of the business. If you have a question, please contact Ms. Hope (mhope@glnd.k12.va.us). 

Underclassmen Pictures Retakes - Underclassmen's make-up picture day will be Wednesday, November 20th. Students who missed the original picture day or wish to retake their pictures can do so on this day.  Please contact Ms. Mistler (kmistler@glnd.k12.va.us) with any questions.

GCPS Closed - GCPS will be closed during the week of November 25th - 29th for Thanksgiving Break. Please take some time to spend with your family and friends!

Prom Planning Committee - Attention Juniors and Seniors! Want to help plan prom? If you want your input heard for the event, please join the Prom Planning Committee. We will meet once a month until prom time to discuss possible themes, fundraising, and what YOU want to see and hear at prom. Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, December 4th during Bulldog Block in the LC. Feel free to contact Mrs. Boehm (mboehm@glnd.k12.va.us) to be added to the SmartPass. See you there! 

REMINDERS   

Electronic Distribution of Flyers - Throughout the 24.25 school year, please visit this website for upcoming events or activities throughout the Goochland community.

Yearbooks - Yearbooks are for sale! And due to last year’s shipping issues, Balfour has given us a one-year discount on yearbook prices! Please consider purchasing your 2024-2025 yearbook now. Yearbooks will be $55 through the end of the year and $65 after January 1st, 2025. Make sure to order your yearbook through the Balfour website. Please contact Mrs. Mistler (kmistler@glnd.k12.va.us) if you have any questions. We will have a spring release this year, so yearbooks will be in your hands before we leave for the summer!


Senior Class of 2025

All Night Graduation - For our Casino Night fundraiser, we are looking for sponsors starting in January 2025. Casino Night will be held at Bandits Ridge on Friday, March 14th. Please contact Michele Brooks at 804-221-2336 if you know of a person or business that would like to sponsor.

  • Be sure to mark your calendars now for the “Senior Sunset” on Friday, May 30th. We will have more details during the second semester!

  • Please follow ANG on Facebook, “Goochland All Night Graduation 2025.”  If you have any questions or want to join ANG, please email them at GoochlandANG@gmail.com

Senior Portraits - If you plan on taking your portraits with an outside photographer, please plan to have a digital file sent to Mrs. Mistler (kmistler@glnd.k12.va.us) by Friday, December 1st.  The requirements for senior portraits taken with other photographers are a blue background; vertical, formal poses; 300 dpi; and wallet-size crop. 

Virtual Financial Aid Night- The School Counseling Department and our GRASP Advisor, Ms. Bradley, will be hosting a virtual Financial Aid Night on Thursday, December 5th at 6 PM.  To join, please go to https://meet.google.com/zqx-ruqv-moj or dial: ‪+1 347-467-1664‬ PIN: ‪549 683 409‬#.

Senior Projects - This year, students will complete a total of 20 service hours, 10 hours due in December and 10 hours due in April. Students will not be permitted to walk at the GHS graduation ceremony if they do not complete their senior project. Lastly, Education for Employment and Blue Ridge Virginia Governor's School students complete a separate senior project through those experiences. Please contact Mallory McMullin at (mmcmullin@glnd.k12.va.us) with any questions.

Senior Ads - Those families wishing to buy an ad in the yearbook for their senior can do so now HERE.  Once you select and pay for your desired ad size, you can create and design the ad in Balfour’s online program. All ads are due by Saturday, February 1st. 

Class of ‘24 Graduation Details - Please mark your calendars for our GHS class of 2025 graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 31st at 7:30 pm at the GHS Stadium. The rain date will be Sunday, June 1st at 7:30 pm. We will have follow-up details in the coming months regarding the senior students' last day of school, senior exam week, etc.