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Best of State in Roy:
AwardWinning Teacher Alexandra Castellanos Smith
I
BY JENNY GOLDSBERRY
In a time when the entire world is concerned about the youngest generation of students, Roy is coming out on top in the realm of education. One of our very own teachers has not only won a statewide award but will be recognized this month as one of the top five teachers in the country. Alexandra Castellanos Smith of Sand Ridge Junior High isn’t just the best in state but one of the best in the nation. Alexandra grew up the youngest of six kids. Spanish is her first language, which was spoken by her mother and father at home. She learned English in school with the help of her siblings. Even though she was smart and loved to read, she did not like school at first. Still, her mother and older sisters pushed her to stay at it. Then, in high school, she had a psychology teacher named Mr. Nugent. Previously, he’d taught all her older siblings. She admits she was a tough student, but failure was not an option for Mr. Nugent. 14 royconnection.com Februar y 2022
“He basically told me that, if he had to drag me to class every day, he would,” Alexandra remembers. This teacher even went as far as talking to all of Alexandra’s other teachers so that they would push her in the same way. When it came time to apply for college, she was even less motivated and admits she wasn’t always planning on attending. But Mr. Nugent stepped in again and sat with her as she wrote her entrance essays. He even went as far as to help pay for her applications. Suddenly, she was a first-generation college student studying English literature at Southern Utah University. After that, she pursued a master’s degree in the same subject at Weber State University. She received her latest degree just last year. Today, Mr. Nugent is no longer with
us, but his legacy lives on through Alexandra. After finishing her bachelor’s degree at SUU, she attended a job fair. At the time, she was working in retail but was desperate to use her degree towards something. She had already been certified in Spanish for her retail job, and it would take just one additional test to apply to be licensed to teach Spanish. Then, by happenstance, she met Weber School District Assistant Superintendent Art Hansen at the fair. When she met Mr. Hansen, he mentioned he had a Spanish position open in Roy. Suddenly, Alexandra remembered the great Spanish teachers she’d had growing up. They had told her back then she’d make an excellent teacher. At the time, it motivated her to work as a Spanish/English tutor in high school. Throughout her college experience, she subbed for classes in
