LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Before she was mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman dedicated 26 years to working in education.
Many may not know it, but she's the founder of The Meadows School in Summerlin, a private pre-K through 12th grade school.
Its mission is one straight from the mayor's playbook: teaching ambitious students to passionately serve their communities.
WATCH 'THE GOODMAN YEARS' HERE
Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean paid a visit to the school to see what Goodman started and learned she's left a legacy that extends beyond the Las Vegas city limits.
"I said to Oscar, 'We either have to move, because the school system's beginning to slide, or we have to build the school; one of the two,'" Goodman said.
She started The Meadows School in 1984, when she recognized a need for children like her youngest daughter, Cara.
Located near North Rampart and West Lake Mead boulevards, it now serves nearly 1,000 students in pre-K through 12th grade.
"The school's now probably into what, its 39th year. We've put all the youngsters into four-year colleges. But in those days, those early days, it was very clearly specific, traditional, almost British type of system of education," Goodman said.
Brian Siegel served as athletic director starting in 1989 and remembers Carolyn Goodman making an immediate impression.
"For a long time, we were not even known as The Meadows School. We were known as Carolyn's school, and her passion was contagious," Siegel said.
CAROLYN AS A MENTOR
Today, Siegel is director of the middle school at The Meadows. He calls Goodman a mentor who made time for anyone on staff — from teachers to the custodian — and was always leading by example.
"Carolyn was so busy, because early in the days when we had our first graduating classes, Carolyn served as the chairman of the board. She was also the college counselor. She was probably the chief fundraiser for the school," Siegel said.
But it's her biggest supporter, Oscar Goodman, who says Carolyn really doesn't get enough recognition.
"Never got a salary. People don't realize this," Oscar Goodman said. "Worked like a dog, although she'd never considered it work. Had no benefits whatsoever. She did it as a labor of love. People don't understand what that really means with the kind of effort that she put into it."
MENTOR TO MAYOR
Siegel recalls it was impressive to see Carolyn Goodman's dedication every day. He says she was never one to follow the status quo, raising the bar for students and staff, always with a growing vision of what the school could be — an attitude she would bring with her to office as mayor of Las Vegas.
"This vision of these sports teams and this much grander entertainment center," Siegel said. "If you remember the early days of Oscar talking about those things, they're here now."
"They weren't talking about what we were. They were talking about what we were going to be — and we're there," Siegel added. "And now what we're talking about, we're adding Formula 1 and we're having the Super Bowl. So again, it's a vision of how we're getting bigger and better."
Ultimately, The Meadows is a vision Goodman can be proud of.
TRICIA KEAN: "Would you say it's one of your greatest accomplishments?"
OSCAR GOODMAN: "You have to."
CAROLYN GOODMAN: "It was my life. It was 26 years, every single day of my life... And that's it. I loved it."
Channel 13's exclusive interview and televised special, The Goodman Years, aired Tuesday, March 25. Find more exclusive interviews and insight into how the Goodmans have shaped Las Vegas at ktnv.com/goodmanyears.
