Would you be able to live in a new country ... and thrive?

West Hempstead Secondary School future freshman and ENL student Wilder Castro-Fuentes has had an amazing journey in the West Hempstead school district.

Castro-Fuentes arrived at George Washington Intermediate School during the 2019-20 school year with his younger sister from Guatemala and reunited with other members of his family. Ever since he joined the district, Castro-Fuentes has shown a desire for learning, and dedicated his time to not only learning the content, but also the English language.

Castro-Fuentes is also passionate about home country, and shares this in his Spanish class with Amanda Marconi. He has contributed to the West Hempstead community in a variety of ways, and his teachers attested to his character, work ethic and passion.

“Wilder was instrumental in helping new entrants feel at ease at school, and his dedication to learning never wavered,” said his ENL teacher, Candice Walker.

This year, Castro-Fuentes was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, and he holds one of the highest averages in algebra as an eighth grader, which is a high school level course. He also won first place in the Lions Club Peace Poster Contest for his artwork as shared by his art teacher Christina Ferrante.

“Despite the challenge of taking on a ninth grade course this year, Wilder has taken the initiative to independently study topics, redo assignments to achieve mastery, and has actively utilized both extra help and workshop resources to further his understanding,” said Wilder’s math teacher, Catherine Klein. “He consistently approaches learning with a positive and enthusiastic attitude and is always willing to assist others in their comprehension.”

Castro-Fuentes also plays baseball for the middle school’s team as right fielder after trying the sport for the first time. Additionally, he is the only ENL student who self-selected to Challenge-Up in living environment. Challenge-Up is when a student elects to take a high school course and makes a full-year commitment by signing a contract to enrich their learning experience with a more rigorous, high school course.

“I have had the pleasure of being Wilder's science teacher for the last two years,” said his living environment teacher, Ronald Bauer. “Since day one, Wilder has been one of the most hard-working and enthusiastic students I have ever had in the classroom. This year, he made the courageous decision to Challenge-Up to take a difficult high school course while in eighth grade. Not only is he on his way to mastery in the class and eventual New York State Regents, but he has also become a leader in the classroom who helps others and is a true inspiration to his peers and people like me.”

Bauer added that Castro-Fuentes defines the expression “hard work pays off” and he is eager to see all the amazing things that he accomplishes at the high school level next year.