Faith Lutheran High School students walked into a sudden, unforeseen, and tragic assembly Monday morning. Freshman, Julian  Castillo, passed away Saturday, April 7, 2018,  in a fatal car accident on the U.S. 95.

Castillo, the other passenger, his 24-year-old cousin Daniella Suarez, and the driver were riding in a gray Honda CRV as a red Chevrolet Tahoe headed south. The tire on the red Chevrolet Tahoe experienced a malfunction that caused the tire to eject off of the car and enter the northbound lanes, breaking the windshield and killing the the two passengers, Daniella and Julian.

The assembly took place during first block, where students were asked to leave their classrooms and enter the arena. Mr. Fogo, tearing up from the news, and Mr. Buikema informed students of the tragedy that took place over the weekend and held a time of prayer for Julian’s family and friends. After the assembly, students went back to class and for the rest of the day the overall mood on campus was somber.

Mrs. Burns, a Faith counselor, knew Julian well when he was in middle school.

“He lived with more joy than almost any child I’ve ever worked with,” said Burns.

One student, who prefers to stay anonymous as to not take away attention from Julian, went on the mission trip to Mexico with Castillo.

“There was not a moment that went by where he did not put a smile on my face,” she said. “He was always the brightest part of our day.”

The staff of Faith Lutheran is currently working on a celebration of life for Julian. He was a very active member of the Faith community when it came to serving, and he will always be remembered as a joyous child of God.