When a group of people suddenly interrupted Ms. Renea Urbaniak’s math class a few weeks ago, she had no idea why.
“My students were taking a test, and I saw a bunch of administrators come into the classroom.” she said.
When they announced they were there to congratulate her on winning Rookie Teacher of
the Year, she was shocked.
“I felt like all my hard work was paying off,” she said.
A few weeks later, she was notified that she was in the top six to become Horry County Rookie Teacher
of the year.
“I was so excited because the staff and the administrators were all very supportive, and I
felt like I had tried my hardest and I put in my best effort,” she says. “I never thought I would’ve ended up being Rookie Teacher of the Year.”
Ms. Urbaniak has been at Socastee for two years. She graduated college from Coastal Carolina and interned here in 2022 before getting hired full time. She went to AAST during high school and North Myrtle was her base school.
As a newer teacher, Mrs. Urbaniak said she works hard to make sure each day is different in her classroom and that the classroom environment is fun to be in.
She tries to play different review games two to three times a week.
“It gets more people involved,” she said. “We play games like Hot Potato, Escape Rooms and Capture the Flag.”
She can see herself teaching here for a long time.
“One of the best things is the different personalities each kid brings,” she said, “and that they have their own lives.”
She also could see herself becoming a college professor one day.
“Once I retire, I can see myself becoming a college professor, but that’s not for a long time,” she said.
