Haylee Cantero
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when she was just one year old. But her mother, Katie Sexton, says that hasn’t come close to slowing her daughter down. “She’s so active and involved in everything,” said Sexton. “Last year, she was vice president in seventh grade, and this year she’s the STUCO president. It’s just so great to see her pushing past what a lot of folks would see as limitations.” Cantero says she enjoys being in a leadership role in student government and welcomes the responsibilities it brings.
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s Central Middle School’s Student Council President, eighth-grader Haylee Cantero is finding herself extremely busy this year. But not so busy that it keeps her from digging into her best class and favorite book series. “My favorite class is probably English,” said Cantero, “And I’ve read all the Harry Potter books. I took one of those Harry Potter quizzes, and it showed that I would be in Gryffindor.” It’s not just that she enjoys English and the rest of her classes, though. Cantero is also a member of the National Honor Society at Central. She admits that she loves to study and hopes to continue her education after high school at the highest levels. “I’m taking all advanced classes this fall, and I took honors classes last year,” said Cantero. “I’m hoping to go to Harvard for college.” One of the more significant challenges Cantero faces is cerebral palsy, something the family discovered
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“It’s great to help your school and the people you go to school with,” said Cantero. “I like that, and I enjoy making new friends and meeting new people. Right now, we’re working hard to help the seventh-graders with their upcoming elections.” But back to Harry Potter and Cantero’s love of reading. Her mother says Cantero picked up her passion for books from her grandmother. “My mother, her ‘Nana,’ is a high school librarian,” said Sexton. “I’m sure she inherited her love of reading from her because my mom would always read to her when we were in the hospital.” Next year Cantero will get to take a trip to Universal Studios in Florida, where she hopes to spend some time at the theme park’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” Cantero was awarded the trip through an organization that is essentially like Make-A-Wish for kids with disabilities. “There’s nothing that has slowed her down,” said Sexton. “She’s such a smart girl and loves being with her friends, just like any eighth-grader here.” “It doesn’t matter if you use a walker to get around,” said Cantero. “I like all the same things my friends do, and I can do all the things I need to do, the same as any of my friends.” 10 points for Gryffindor!
