GDK Days Reinforce School Culture

On GDK days, students gather to challenge each other to improve in the school’s basic tenets.

Photo by Gomez

GDK Days Reinforce School Culture

Trey Haeger ‘20 Staff Writer

Since 1928, the Basilian motto “Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge” has been instilled in Catholic Central students by its faculty and staff.

Now, 91 years later, CC has begun a new tradition, aimed at emphasizing this motto. This tradition is known as “GDK Days,” with GDK obviously standing for goodness, discipline, and knowledge.

These words all have a more in-depth meaning: Goodness encompasses the traits of faith, compassion, and honor; Discipline is made up of humility, character, and determination; Knowledge includes scholarship, collaboration, and culture.

These traits are what make up a true man of Catholic Central.

On the first Wednesday of every month, the CC student body, along with all faculty and staff, meets in assigned groups for a confession period. What these groups do during this time is planned by the GDK committee, a senior-led group comprised of members of Student Activities and various faculty members.

Senior, Logan Gray, is the chair of this committee, which has been meeting since the first week of school. He said, “To make new activities, we have begun organizing meetings with

our committee to brainstorm ideas and lesson plans that allow for students to intercommunicate with one another on topics that may be sensitive or hard to discuss in our modern world.”

After only two GDK days, these mixed-grade groups are already starting to bridge the gaps between classes. During the last session, smaller breakout groups formed lists of things that they could do to practice their faith more intentionally.

Ideas ranged from attending before-school mass each week as a group to helping fellow Shamrock brothers who are having a hard time with something.

Another great aspect of the Catholic Central GDK days is the focus it puts on the betterment of the student body as a whole.

Gray added, “The purpose of CC GDK is to unite the students in a common brotherhood. We hope to promote communication between grades and create a tight-knit family of students.”

An interconnected student population from grade to grade will not only help strengthen the Catholic Central brotherhood, but also create an environment where students can hold each other accountable for their actions and their behavior.

This, along with the establishment of higher expectations for the men of CC, will help to improve the school community.

While we remain rooted in our traditions, changes like GDK days should only strengthen our culture and serve to remind us of the tenets goodness, discipline, and knowledge.