The Gooden School welcomes students of all faiths and we respect the religious traditions of all members of our school community. The independent school is inclusive by respecting all faith traditions while being clear about its Episcopal identity. Rooted in the Episcopal tradition, the school strives to nurture in each student an awareness of God and a sense of moral responsibility. It is our hope that all students find a voice for their spiritualities, beliefs and values as members of the school community.

Each week all students participate in chapel. The school chaplain leads the gathering with spiritual stories of challenges and opportunities related to everyday life. The service includes hymns, prayers and celebrations of birthdays and other events in our community. We also acknowledge and pray for special needs within our school, our families and the world we live in.

The Gooden School believes that the spiritual development of its students gives greater meaning to their intellectual, creative and physical endeavors. The school trusts that a large part of this development is service to others. Our service program begins in kindergarten (with more formal service hours required in the middle school) with the focus on outreach during holidays. In the past some examples of our outreach have been supporting UNICEF at Halloween, food drives at Thanksgiving, toy and clothing drives at Christmas, the American Heart Association during the month of February and Race for the Cure in March. Often classes will find their own special interests to support as well.

Spiritual life at Gooden encompasses every aspect of our motto: “Respect for self, Respect for others and Respect for the world."