In thirty days, ninth grade World History teacher Mr. Castle will be leaving the Country Day community for an education consulting job in Miami. This sudden departure leaves many of his current and former students, as well as the entire senior class, wondering who will take up his place as teacher, class sponsor, and advisor to the History of Football minimester.

Mr. Castle is leaving for a job opportunity that he hopes will better “employ his education skills beyond the classroom,” as well as allowing him to teach a wider audience. And though he will undoubtedly be missed by all, his loss will be felt most acutely by the class of 2015, who he has sponsored for the past two years. The role of a class sponsor is a pivotal and often underappreciated one which requires generous time and effort, particularly as the class approaches the graduation traditions seniors have been eagerly anticipating for years. Ms. Sardina, who sponsored the class of 2002 for four years and the class of 2003 for a year after a similar situation arose with their sponsor, will be replacing Mr. Castle. “What’s on the agenda is homecoming, getting them through senior projects, and baccalaureate. One of the reasons I was okay with doing it is because I believe the officers of that class are very self sufficient.”

Other teachers previously co-advised the History of Football with Mr. Castle, and Mr. Sverkounos will be taking over the long-running minimester this year, possibly with a faculty co-sponsor to be determined. The minimester, which has run for several years and often serves winter athletes who can’t leave Miami due to practices, has an uncertain fate past the 2014-15 cycle.

Mr. Castle has taught at Country Day for more than four years. Many upperclassmen and former students can attest that his classes were always engaging and unconventional, whether they were enrolled in Public Speaking, Human Geography, or World History. He says that he will miss his students the most, and grading his students papers the least. When asked if he had anything to say to the seniors and his former students, Mr. Castle said, “I would say, just as I said in my convocation speech, that I wish them luck. But it’s not necessary. They’re incredibly skilled, very talented, intelligent, independent. I wish them not good luck, but… I guess I wish them nothing.”

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