Donald Castans, science teacher, joined the LZHS faculty this year as a new physical science teacher. The inviting environment of LZHS impressed Castans when he arrived in Lake Zurich, he said.

“I was blown away by how welcoming it was,” Castans said. “Everyone is very friendly, which helped me become comfortable in this new environment. I’m not new to teaching, but I am new to the building, so I appreciate how the students and teachers welcomed me here.”

Castans was inspired to become a teacher through his experiences in high school, as well as from his family.

“In high school, science sparked an interest, and I ended up interning as a TA and tutoring other students. It feels good to help people understand why the world works as it does,” Castans said. “My inspiration to become a teacher came from my family. Teaching runs in my family, and I saw the satisfaction my family had with teaching, as well as the frustrations sometimes. But I saw they got a lot out of it and had a passion for making a difference through teaching.”

Before teaching physical science at LZHS, Castans taught chemistry, earth science, and physical science at Hoffman Estates High School. Castans said he hopes to teach these subjects again at LZHS.

“I would love to teach chemistry again, I actually majored in chemistry in college, so it’s something I know well and I’m interested in,” Castans said. “I would also like to teach earth science like I did at Hoffman Estates.”

Castans said his other goals for his future at LZHS include getting more involved in the school.

“I’d like to get more involved with the school, maybe with a new club,” Castans said. “I’m also really excited that I am coaching the boys’ freshmen lacrosse team this year. I previously coached atHoffman Estates, and I asked if there were any coaching positions here and it turned out there were.”

Besides coaching, Castans said his favorite part about being a teacher comes from the interactions with students and helping them learn. The students at LZHS have particularly impressed him with their dedication.

“The students here are more interested in the material, and they really want to learn and apply science to the real world,” Castans said. “They definitely have more initiative to learn in terms of science, even those who science is not really their thing still attempt to learn and try their best, and I appreciate that.”