Sadness struck the students of Suncoast as beloved English teacher, Tara Baruch announced her departure. She is now the AP and AICE Instructional Specialist for the School District of Palm Beach County.

“Honestly I made the decision to leave when I filled out the application for the position at the end of last school year,” Baruch said. “I decided to apply for several reasons but the biggest one was that I am really concerned about equity in advanced courses.”

Baruch has also been working on getting her PhD and decided that this promotion would be a step in the right direction in regards to her education.

“I have the opportunity to make real change and [the position] also aligns with my dissertation so I can make a bridge between theory and practice,” Baruch said.

Students remembered her impact and creative teaching that left an impression to remember. Junior Leah Sauceda said that Baruch was a “very interactive teacher and she made it very clear from the way she teaches that she really loved to teach.”

“She always tried to do stuff that she knew would benefit us and always took our input into account.” junior Muminah Ahmed said. “She was really engaging and colorful in her teaching which made it an enjoyable experience.”

Baruch’s unique way of teaching also stood out and made her a memorable member of the Suncoast community. She mainly taught IB classes such as Theory of Knowledge and IB Literature, which helped her create long-term connections with her students.

“Ms. Baruch really understood her students. For example, she implemented a really helpful technique where she let us have 10 minute breaks each class to use the bathroom, catch-up and breathe in the middle of class,” junior Jillian Cranney said. “We just had some down time to chill which made us actually stay attentive in class.”

While she will be missed, and the students and staff are sad to see her go, Baruch recalled fond memories of her experience.

“Fridays with my colleagues are the best memories of my time here,” Baruch said. “They will know what I mean by that.”

As a last part of her farewell, Baruch had a special message for her students to remember her by so that her influence is not easily forgotten.

“If I were to say anything to my students I would say thank you for letting me learn with you and to understand that you can learn from anyone regardless of age, sex, and race,” Baruch said. “Don’t ever stop trying to learn.”