Principal Miss Castro honored by ACLS for leadership, strong teacher retention at John F Long

Miss Castro, principal at John F Long in the Cartwright Elementary District, was presented with an ACLS award at a district event. A district staff member introduced her and highlighted her leadership and unusually high teacher retention.

The introducer praised Miss Castro as "a pillar in the community" and "a terrific leader at John F Long," saying, "Her teacher retention is off the charts, and that's in part because she's created a really terrific environment for her teachers to be creative, to have opportunities to learn and grow in the profession." The remarks framed the award as recognition both of Miss Castro and of the district's work on behalf of students.

Miss Castro told the audience she grew up in Los Angeles after her parents immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico, and later moved to Arizona. She described her parents as role models and said, "you come to this country not to take, but to make it better, to give." Speaking about the principalship, she said, "Being a principal, to me, is the best job because I get to work with all stakeholders, and I get to be in classrooms, and I get to see the miracles that teachers perform in their classroom." She added that partnering with parents helps "offer their children opportunities that are gonna impact their future."

On accepting the award, Miss Castro said, "Receiving the award from ACLS was such a blessing," and called being recognized "for doing something in my community to impact, Latinos is just an honor and a privilege and very humbling." The district staff member concluded by saying the recognition reflects the district's broader work for children and that Miss Castro "is at the forefront of the work that we're doing."

The transcript records the award presentation and remarks but does not document any formal board motions, votes, or policy actions related to the recognition.