A proud Scituate Sailor, 1990 SHS graduate Tara Szymaniak is excited about her promotion from SHS teacher to Mathematics Department Chair. While growing up in Scituate, Szymaniak (whose maiden name was Power) attended Wampatuck Elementary School, Gates Intermediate School, and Scituate High School, where she enjoyed extracurricular activities such as music, marching band, and cheerleading. In addition, she was a dancer at the Duval Dance and Music Academy.
After graduating from Boston College in 1994 with a double major in mathematics and secondary education, Szymaniak spent one year in Alabama and one year in Wayland, MA, before joining the faculty at SHS.
Described by her colleagues as “experienced, supportive, and motivated,” Szymaniak said her passion for teaching began at an early age. Inspired by her father and grandfather, who were both math educators, Szymaniak remarked, “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher from when I was little. It was always something I wanted to do.”
In addition to her responsibilities as a department chair, Szymaniak is teaching AP Statistics. According to her students, she brings a lot of energy into the classroom. “I am not a math student, but her teaching makes me enjoy math. She’s super understanding of what her students are going through, and she’s a trusted adult I know I can go to,” noted senior Alessandra (Allie) Ryan.
Szymaniak said she took the department chair position to explore a new challenge. “Any time you do something, you challenge, and you grow, and you get better at things, and I think that’s important to do all throughout your life,” she said. Szymaniak said she likes to be involved in all parts of the learning process. In her new administrative role, she works as a curriculum expert, hires and coaches teachers, and writes professional evaluations for middle and high school teachers. Her job includes observing students and teachers in the classroom environment.
Outside of school, Szymaniak spends most of her time with her children and husband, Jeff Szymaniak, whom she met when they were both new teachers at SHS. Currently, he is the superintendent of schools in Whitman-Hanson.
In her free time, she enjoys reading mysteries, binge-watching television with her husband, and listening to music by Taylor Swift.