Gaughan To Meet, Talk with Local High School Students

Before taking to the track at Phoenix International Raceway, Gaughan will meet with 60 students at Buckeye Union High School in Buckeye, Ariz. , on behalf of the APS Power Players Program. The APS Power Players Program, which was launched in April 2005, supports the Arizona Character Educational Foundation in promoting character education through the state of Arizona .

The APS Power Players program arranges assemblies like the school meeting with Gaughan to help teach students the basic principles of character using the “Six Pillars of Character” – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

Gaughan, who attended Georgetown University from 1993-1997, has visited with high school students in several race markets this year for similar assemblies, which he hopes helps both the teachers and the students.

“I’m not really a role model – look at me – but what I do is I have fun with kids,” Gaughan said. “There’s no such thing as a bad kid, they are only taught to be bad. If you can get to a kid when they are young, and I can maybe affect one – just one of the kids that I go and talk to throughout the year – to me that is a special deal.

“I was fortunate enough to have a great family growing up and I was fortunate enough to have John Thompson coach me in college. I was fortunate to have some great people in my life to mentor me and kind of show me around.

“I just like talking to kids – I’m on the same wave length. Mentally, I’m 13 years old. It works for me. I get to hang out, and I get to tell them a little bit about some of the fun stories that I have been able to be involved in. If you can affect one of them out of that class – I would love to get more than one – but one is all that it takes.”