Honoring Goldfish Swim Schools Who Go Above and Beyond for Our Core Values

Over the last 18 years (since our very first school opened!), we’ve had a LOT of opportunities for celebrating… From new school openings, to anniversary parties, to big waves in the community, Goldfish Swim School teams never fail to give us a reason to put our fins together for a big round of applause, especially when it comes to truly standing behind our core values!

Celebrating Goldfish Locations Going Above and Beyond

We know that EVERY Goldfish Swim School makes waves each and every day. Each Goldfish location is more than just a place where kids learn to swim – it’s a place where water safety, life lessons and smiles are shared daily! From creating confidence in the pool to building life-changing memories, our schools truly go Above and Beyond to live out our Core Values!

Today, we want to honor those who have not only embraced our Core Values, but have truly made waves in their communities, and differentiate themselves through their leadership, their passion for teaching, and their unwavering commitment to going that extra mile. Our 2024 Core Value Award Winners exemplify the very best of what we do—they inspire, lead and show us how living the Goldfish Way can create lasting impacts both in and out of the pool. We’re so excited to Celebrate our Core Value award winners AND our Rookie of the Year and School of the Year!

The Golden Experience Core Value Award Goes to…Goldfish – Shoreline, WA!

From the moment you walk into Goldfish – Shoreline, you can feel the Goldfish Culture living through each and every team member. The owner, Will, along with his leadership team, have gone Above and Beyond since their opening 5 years ago, to ensure that every day is a Golden Experience for not only their swimmers, but their team members, too! 

The Shoreline Team is always looking for new ideas on how to continue to elevate their Golden Experience within their school, and is never shy to ask for advice from the Franchise Team and other owners. Their dedication to their school and their community come to light in their enrollment – since opening their doors in 2018, they have had the swimsational opportunity to watch kiddos learn, grow and thrive as they transition from little guppies to strong, confident swimmers. Their members love them (and all of the Growing Up Goldfish moments!) and we can totally see why! 

“We love it so much here! The staff up front are always so friendly and welcoming! My son’s coach Lauren is outstanding! She gave my son the confidence he needed to become a swimmer! She treats each child as an individual and gives them each whatever it is that they need to build their strength and confidence in the pool! I can’t say enough good things about Shoreline’s Goldfish Swim School! We absolutely love the Wednesday AM staff! My son used to hate coming to swim school because of his fear of swimming and now he loves it and can’t wait to get in the pool!” – Michele C., Google Review

This team has made a FINtastic impact on their community in Washington, and is more than deserving of this award for living by our core values! 

The Core Value Award of WOW! Customer Service Goes to…Goldfish – Portland, ME!

The team at Goldfish – Portland takes great pride in their attention to detail and their ability to provide everyone that comes into their location a Golden Experience. They implement best practices from other Goldfish Swim Schools when they can, and use every opportunity they get to sharpen up their WOW! Customer Service skills. From engaging with new members to keeping up with current ones, the team at Portland, ME makes it a point to always put the member experience at the forefront of everything they do. They want to be sure that they are always giving their best to everyone they come in contact with – and their online reviews are the perfect testament to that! 

“Everyone I interacted with was helpful, informative, courteous, and kind to my grand-daughter. She is nine, but had never had any swim lessons, although she lives on an island and ‘swims’ daily in the ocean. She was nervous because she was much older, but each instructor was encouraging, and each day when we left, she said she wished lessons lasted an hour!” – Claire R., Survey Response

It is so FINspiring to see how much hard work they put into prioritizing their swimmers and their families, and they couldn’t be a better fit for this Core Value award! 

The Integrity, Compassion and Trust Core Value Award Goes to… Goldfish – Gilbert, AZ!

Dana and Alex, Goldfish – Gilbert owners, have created an environment where great team members, a passion for water safety and a drive to get involved in their community blend together seamlessly! The pair has built an incredible team and prioritized them from the very start. They are quick to show appreciation for one another and have created a culture where swimmers and families truly feel the golden vibes! 

In nurturing the bones of their school – the team members! – the passion for water safety and their community in Phoenix comes easily. They work hard to promote Goldfish Swim School and the brand’s mission and core values across the market with other Goldfish schools in the area, and have created something FINomenial. 

“We almost stopped our lessons. What started out as an enjoyable experience got harder as we watched our son start to struggle with wanting to be there and crying. But then after 10 minutes of crying each week he was all smiles and having the time of his life. One of the times it was so bad that I did talk to someone about dropping. Hayden was super supportive and gave some options to consider but was ready to work with us, and then our instructor had encouraging words, which honestly made it harder to leave. We took some time to decide what to do and went to another class and it got a little better. Then he got a ribbon to move up classes so we took the opportunity to try a different day/time and it was crazy how much of a difference that made switching to later in the day time. Want to give a huge shout out to Camryn for being so supportive and patient each week. She honestly made all the difference in our experience. While she is not our instructor anymore, she still always makes it a point to say hi.” – Katey K., Survey Response

We are so proud of this team and their dedication to one another. Congratulations, Gilbert gang! 

The Extraordinary Results Core Value Award Goes to… Goldfish – Bethlehem, PA!

The Goldfish – Bethlehem team lives and breathes Extraordinary Results! They came out of the gates swimming towards success, and haven’t slowed down since! Through goal-setting, hard work and a fintastic team, they’ve been able to create great processes and training that have helped them make waves. 

This team consistently works hard to enhance the member experience, assuring that families who come in see the progress and results that they deserve! From relationship building to swim lesson quality, they evaluate what’s at hand and how they can make it the best it can be to ultimately create the best swim school for local PA families. 

“You dove through my son’s fear of water and built his confidence, you have the acknowledgement to work on creating a positive relationship with safety and enjoy the process of swimming. Today my son enjoys his swim classes and keeps working on the skills needed for his level. Thank you!” – Johana H., Survey Response

This team is simply amazing – and the proof is in the Extraordinary Results! Congrats, Bethlehem!

The Celebrate! Core Value Award Goes to… Goldfish – Franklin, TN!

You know we love celebrating, and so does the team in Franklin! This team has taken the tool of social media and created an incredible space for shouting out and celebrating, well, everything! 

The Franklin Team has it written on the top of their list to capture moments and Golden Experiences within their four walls, and spread the word about them on their Facebook and Instagram pages. They know just how important it is to use their feed to showcase how amazing their facility, team and swimmers are. From celebration ribbons and move ups, to employee birthdays and graduations, they have flooded their feed with happiness, creativity and joy. We love seeing all of the fincredible celebration-worthy moments and the smiles behind them and know that our core values are being lived through and through!

Keep up the great work, and the swimsational Celebrating, Goldfish – Franklin! 

The Rookie of the Year Award Goes to… Goldfish – Puyallup, WA!

Each year, the Rookie of the Year award is given to a new school that has done big things, made big moves and created a lasting impact. It’s no surprise that Goldfish – Puyallup has earned this award this year! 

As the first location for Corri, the owner, it has been an incredibly strong one! From the beginning, this team has been actively engaged in every meeting, phone call and task at hand. They’ve created strong community relationships, prioritized best-in-class training, and have gone above and beyond to raise awareness for water safety. Every single thing this team does is well thought out and intentional, and their swimmers can’t help but share how Golden their experiences are! 

“I’m going to go ahead and tell you why swimming lessons are 100% worth every penny and why I love this swim school for my son. My son Luke is 7 months old. We started our swim lessons here when he was 4 months old, so about 3 months ago. Today while I was giving him a bath in his little plastic tub he slipped under the water surface. I, of course, panicked. He was all the way in the water face up under the surface looking at me. I screamed and hurried to get him above the surface. While I was panicking and checking him over, he was totally calm and playing with the bubbles in the tub. Because of these classes he knew not to panic. He knew not to breathe in under the water and he knew that he would be fine. Thanks to swimming lessons, my son is totally fine and not at all afraid of water. Now I’m going to tell you why I love this particular school. I will admit it is a little pricey. However, my son’s teacher Evelina always remembers him and makes a point to chat with us and Miss Jackie at the front always remembers us as well and always makes my son smile. Everyone here has been extremely kind and understanding and has always provided a helping hand when I need it. Long story short, the swim class here may have saved my son but definitely saved my sanity.” – Kat G., Google Review

Congratulations, Puyullap! 

Last but not least…

The School of the Year Award Goes to… Goldfish – Manchester, CT!

We are so excited to Celebrate our 2024 School of the Year! The Goldfish – Manchester team is always wanting to learn. Whether it’s from other Goldfish owners, the Franchise Team or other business owners in their community, they’ve committed to soaking up as much knowledge as they can! 

It is no surprise that this school’s enrollment continues to grow, reaching more and more kiddos with their life-saving mission, and that their team continues to get better and better. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this?! You can physically feel the Goldfish Culture in the Manchester school, and it’s obvious how much everyone in it wants to learn and grow to be better each day. 

“The environment at the Goldfish School in Manchester is positive and a burst of light as soon as you step through the door. I have to say that each person truly does assist with making this the best swim school possible. Each staff member is helpful from the front desk staff, to the life guards and to the owner Paul who is always hands on with the responsibility of ensuring each child is having fun, staying safe, and learning the best way possible. The changing rooms and bathrooms are always clean without a doubt, and they also leave stickers, tattoos and many different complimentary items at the exit to transition the kids in and out of their lesson with a fun surprise. Overall, the entire team takes the initiative to ensure that each person feels welcome, which turns each lesson into more than just an experience but rather a memory that is cherished forever. Great experience overall and highly recommended to anyone who is unsure of where to go for lessons. Shout out to my son’s instructor, Anthony, who has helped my son feel more comfortable in the water and also for taking time with him to get to know him and how he learns best since he has developmental disabilities. He takes time and truly cares. He is positive and always has good feedback, even if my son is tired or having an off day. You all are making a huge difference, so thank you for everything you do! 5 Stars!” – Marissa O., Yelp Review

We couldn’t be happier for you, Manchester! Congratulations!