As the mayor of Goshen, Allan Kauffman (GHS ‘67, GC ‘71) has worked to continue a strong relationship between the city of Goshen and Goshen Community Schools, but as a father, Allan has seen directly the influence of Goshen Community Schools in his sons’ lives.

Allan Kauffman and his wife, Carol Miller, have two sons who took very different paths through school.

“Both kids were significantly different and both had terrific experiences at Goshen Community Schools,” Allan said. “Goshen Community Schools has been great for both our kids.”

That’s part of what makes Goshen Community Schools such an exemplary system, he continued, is how diverse the schools’ populations are and the fantastic job Goshen does educating that variety of students.

Nick was naturally talented academically and named a National Merit Scholar because of his high PSAT score, Allan said. Lucas was diagnosed with Asperger’s in elementary school and had an individualized education plan but never needed an aide. “Teachers always said he was easy to get along with and was even tempered and he got along well with other kids,” Allan said.

While they were different kinds of students, both look back with gratitude on their educations at Goshen Community Schools.

After graduating from Goshen High School, Nick focused on peace studies at Manchester College, with a self-designed emphasis in community and social relations, then earned a Master’s degree at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. He now works in student life at Earlham College in Richmond and is a reserve police officer for the Goshen Police Department.

Nick said several of his college courses felt like easier versions of classes he had taken in high school. At one point, Nick said, a literature professor actually wrote on one of Nick’s assignments that he wasn’t sure he had anything to teach him.

“I’ve consistently felt my experience at Goshen High School was an amazing one that represented a top-notch academic education and teachers that really cared for me,” he said.

Lucas followed in Nick’s footsteps to Manchester. He was inspired by his Goshen High School social studies teachers to major in history education. While he still has a love of social studies, he later changed his major to communication studies with a minor in journalism. That was also inspired by a love of writing nurtured by GHS teachers and his work on The Tomahawk, GHS’ student newspaper.

The school system was very helpful in meeting his needs through a number of services, he said, such as allowing him to take tests away from others.

“Goshen Community Schools helped me prepare for college, and now my job, thanks to some of the classes that were offered,” he said

Lucas has now returned to Goshen High School, serving as a paraprofessional to help students who need extra help.

Allan said he’d like to see the school system’s motto be “our schools will prepare your kids for the diverse world in which they will live and work.” Other local schools are good systems, he said, but they don’t have the diversity and the breadth of programs Goshen offers.

The schools are only a part of why Allan is glad to have grown up here and remained here with his own wife and children. He’s excited for other families coming to the area too, even writing handwritten cards to new residents.

“Goshen has always been what I think is a great place to raise a family,” he said, “and I know that sounds trite, but it worked for my family.”