Catching up with Ms. Beth 戈登 '07

* As seen in the May 2024 edition of the Bagpiper. Written by Isabelle Wallach '26.

Have you ever returned to a place after a long time and realized that you have grown with it?

夫人. Beth 戈登 is a consistent friendly face on campus, but few people know that she used to be a student at Saint Andrew's.

As a student of the Class of 2007, Ms. 戈登 was a member of the varsity tennis team and enjoyed U.S. history and English 9, which she remembers taking with 夫人. Friedman, now an 上学校 college counselor.

Now 18 years later, 夫人. 戈登 is the 上学校 Assistant Dean of 学生 and Assistant Dean of Residential Life and lives on campus.

While the school has changed since her high school career, so has her understanding of it, starting with the physical campus. 

Some of the buildings were here and some were not during 夫人. 戈登的时间. In fact, she didn't expect it to hit so hard to see Rooks being knocked down this fall.

While some tangible aspects have changed, some traditions have stayed strong through time.

"The core traditions are still the same, such as don’t walk on the seal, seniors privileges, and homecoming,“夫人. 戈登 explained.

The culture of Saint Andrew’s has left its mark on 夫人. 戈登, and she still uses Saint Andrew’s core values to guide her in her job and life.

“Integrity and honor are huge, it’s just the way I live my life. I’m going to do the right thing when no one’s looking,” said 夫人. 戈登.  

You learn a lot about the school’s culture on both sides as a student and then as a staff or faculty member.

As a student, you have access to less knowledge than as an adult working in the school. 学生 also had different stressors back when she was a student.

“In today's world with social media, everything is heightened, which adds a lot of pressure on the students,“夫人. 戈登说. 

She believes that supporting the students through the pressures of high school is the most rewarding part of her job.

“What I love about this job is that I am still with the students. I love seeing everyone excited about homecoming, prom, and grad bash,“夫人. 戈登说.

As a student, she also felt the same sense of excitement about Saint Andrew's milestones. Her favorite memory at Saint Andrew's to this day is graduation.

“The commencement, starting with the Baccalaureate at night and then the next day with graduation, and processing across the campus through the teachers and hearing the noise of the bagpipers playing as you go into the chapel, is a special feeling you cannot recreate,”她说。. 

At Saint Andrew’s, students can create their own memories, 夫人. 戈登 explained. She advises them to “Every day come in, learn something new, make new friends. Just be open to everybody. Because if you fully take advantage of what this place can offer, it can change your life.”