Throughout her 25-year long career as an educator, Ms. Castro has inspired students with lessons in hard work and resilience. Whether through leading dance competitions as a PE teacher or cheering courtside as the head coach of the girls’ volleyball team, her commitment has shaped both athletes and students at Mendham High School. As Ms. Castro heads into retirement in January, her impact will remain evident in the strong bonds she has built within the school community.
Such bonds are observed through her strong relationships with her students and coworkers. Ms. Castro very much treasures her interactions with students. “I love the students! They are so helpful, polite, and kind…They keep me young. They keep me updated. They make me laugh. They teach me a lot of things.” The same positive affirmations are felt by students in their interactions with Ms. Castro. Maia Skjonnemand, Alena Pfersch, and Caroline Brubaker—all captains of this years’ volleyball team—have some very nice things to say about Ms. Castro. Maia expresses, “She is very inclusive and sweet. During volleyball season, she really tried to take into consideration everyone. I have had Ms. Castro as my coach for three years, and she has always been very considerate of what I have to say input-wise. She’s taught me to be inclusive and understanding of other people, despite the many differences between each player on the court.” Alena states, “She’s very hardworking, and she puts a lot of effort into everything she does…she really does have fun with everything.”
“[She] is very loving,” Caroline adds. “She just loves what she does, whether it’s coaching, doing yoga, or skiing…she loves any activity, really…I think she’s a very inspiring human being, and her dedication means a lot, not only to players but also to students. She has taught me to push myself hard, and she has helped to show me that I can do anything I put my mind to.”
Ms. Castro also holds the interactions with her coworkers dear. When asked about one of her favorite parts of working at Mendham High School, Ms. Castro emphasizes her colleagues. “It was great to work with them. They are very professional, and they love what they do so it’s great to work alongside people who share the same passion…that team environment is going to be missed.” As co-teachers in the PE department, she mentions that she “loves to work with them because it is an arena where everybody can express their opinions and ideas…it’s something that works great for the department.” Through her experience of teaching on C-floor, she has also built strong relationships with teachers from the History and English departments. Although Ms. Castro doesn’t work directly with these different departments, she emphasizes that she “lives with them from day to day…it is great to be surrounded by them.”
A big reason why Ms. Castro is known to be a positive force in Mendham’s faculty is because of her wisdom and advice that she often shares with students and players, as observed in students’ responses. When asked about a piece of advice she would like to give to students, Ms. Castro states, “High school is tough, but you guys will be successful at the end of these four years. Be true to yourself, keep fighting for your passions, and you’re going to be okay. I wish the best of happiness for all of you!”
Throughout my personal experience of having Ms. Castro as a coach, I can confidently say that her impact on people is profound. She has taught me so many important lessons throughout the time I have known her, one of them being resilience. Through sharing many of her own experiences, such as fighting breast cancer, and always encouraging me to work my hardest, Ms. Castro has been a role model for many other students on and off the court.
One of my favorite teachings she has shared is her “bounce and fight” mentality. Throughout this year’s volleyball season, this was a consistent mantra that she would use to encourage perseverance and confidence. Ms. Castro explains this mantra to students. She states, “Life is like a little kid learning to walk. Nobody’s born learning to walk. From the point that you decide to start walking to the point that you master walking, there is a time when you fall so many times…and that is life. Life is about falling, because nobody is perfect. So when you have a new challenge, you have to accept this part of life, but that shouldn’t be the end. You should keep getting up, because success is not about becoming perfect or mastering; it’s about getting up. If you’re falling, that means you are trying something new, so good for you. Life is about the journey. When you accomplish something, it is great looking back…you are going to remember all those days that you were struggling and how you kept focus on day-to-day struggles and the learnings from each day. I think that the most rewarding part of my job is looking back and seeing how you grow. So do not stop growing. Once you achieve something, keep moving forward.”
In her retirement, Ms. Castro will take her teaching and coaching abilities with her on a bunch of new adventures. The combination of her love for the outdoors, physical activity, and family has brought on a plethora of new opportunities. Initially, her retirement came about because her parents were having trouble in Spain. This is why she is going to go back to Spain for a while. Along with going back to Spain, she is also going to be a ski instructor this December, a Tai Chi instructor, and plans to keep coaching volleyball, either at the club level or high school level in the future. She also wants to travel and visit her children more often.
