CASTLEWOOD, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Kayla Goens’ family has been part of the Castlewood School District for generations.
“My dad went here, his siblings went here, my grandpa went here, a lot of people. A lot of the family went to Castlewood. I think it’s just a great community, a great school. Everybody’s always here for each other,” said Kayla.
Kayla is a top student and a leader in basketball, track, softball, 4H, and her church youth group.
“Kayla is what every teacher hopes their students will be. She’s kind, she’s hard-working, and she’s always striving to be her best. I’ve never had to worry about her getting her work done on time or just taking care of whatever she needs to get done. She’s responsible,” said math teacher Sydney Stevens.
“I have a couple of free periods. So I try to get my schoolwork done during those times so I don’t have homework. And then when I get done with sports, if I still want to hang out with my friends, I’ll have time for that. But obviously, school’s a priority, so I have to get my homework done first,” said Kayla.
She plans to go to college at Lake Area Tech to be a Physical Therapy Assistant.
“I wanted to go into the medical field, but needles aren’t my favorite thing, so I wasn’t going to be a nurse. Then I thought about dental hygiene for a long time, but then I went and shadowed it, and it just wasn’t my thing. With physical therapy, I get to see people, and I eventually want to go into the sports aspect of it because I love sports and I love kids,” said Kayla.
“Her kind heart, mixed with her willingness to work and rise up to a challenge. I think that’s going to take her really far,” said Sydney.
For being named our Scholar of the Week, Kayla gets a $250 scholarship from the H-D Electric Cooperative, which is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.
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