Mildred Osborne’s Athletic Director, Kory Castine, shared with us his journey from a Tulane University basketball player to a beloved educator and mentor, leaving a mark on the lives of countless students through his teaching and coaching. Read below to learn more about Kory, his goals for the Mildred Osborne sports programs, his passions, and more.
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Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I chose to go to Tulane University out of many scholarships. I played basketball at Tulane, and due to all of the traveling associated with being on the basketball team, it took me five years to finish my degree. I got into teaching fairly quickly after finishing up my degree. I worked at a school outside of the CCS network here in New Orleans, and after the first year on the student culture team, I started to focus full-time on PE. I started softball, track and field, and girls’ basketball, among other sports, at that school and was there from 2009 to 2018. I then worked at a high school for a few years before coming to Osborne in 2021.
What is something about you that the CCS community might not know?
I’m a freelance creative writer, self-published author, musical artist, and poet.
How do you approach teaching and mentoring students?
I always want to be the teacher I never had. If I had a really cool coach, he was just that, and vice versa for my teachers. I’m glad that I get to be both a teacher and a coach for our students. I try to be a mentor and to always have a listening ear because I know how important it is to have me
aningful connections with our students.
How is the sports program going this year?
Right now, the girls’ basketball team is undefeated; the boys are coming off of the MLK tournament, where they swept the whole tournament; the girls’ volleyball team went all the way to the championship game but lost about four points in a third set; and the boys’ varsity football team went all the way to the semifinal game.
What are the benefits of students playing sports?
The benefit of being part of a sports team is that it’s like being part of a family. I remember all of the teams that I was on in middle school, in high school, etc. As an athlete, you don’t forget those experiences. Kids also learn a lot about playing a role on a team, and that is something that sticks with them their whole lives. As kids grow up, they might join a corporation or an organization, and they have a role to play. I’m the Athletic Director here at Osborne, and I have a specific role to play in Athletics but also a larger role in Osborne as a whole school. Being a part of a team is a great introduction to collaboration in the world.
What life lessons do you hope students learn from sports?
I want our student athletes to always be a sponge, to soak everything up! I want them to be tenacious, have ferociousness, and to learn how to persevere. You have to be willing to run through a brick wall for something you want.
