From #Urbstagram to Cougars Care, Coronado’s very own AP Spanish teacher, Brent Urban, has made an impact on our school. Since 1999, Mr. Urban has been an active member in and out of the classroom at Coronado. He upholds the reputation of not only a phenomenal Spanish teacher, but a man who wants to help people no matter their situation.

Urban founded Cougars Care in 2004 with the idea that money should never hinder a student from not only participating in school activities but also living their life. “At Coronado we want to make sure we think of each student holistically: not just their academic needs but we try to care for the entire individual and we want them to be able to take advantage of their education opportunities and not be limited by finances, supplies, hunger, or any other deficit.” says Mr. Urban. The club supports Coronado students in need, from clothes, to student fees, to lunches. In the Cougars Care closest, sack lunches, backpacks, school supplies, and clothes from the clothing drive are available to anyone who needs them. Members meet every Thursday after school and as new requests for support are made, the students help, as the club’s “Board of Directors,” figure out a way for certain requests to be paid, for example volunteer hours with the club. Over the past year, Cougars Care raised over $5,500 dollars in the Harvest of Love fundraiser and fed over 125 families for Thanksgiving.  

Mr. Urban doesn’t just educate students in Spanish- he also educates on the tennis courts as the C-Squad women’s tennis coach and the men’s JV tennis coach. Brent has even helped coach some of the varsity girls tennis players, sharing his tennis secrets and never failing to pick the team up. “Whenever Coach Urban is there for a match, I get excited because he brings support and coaches us in a constructive way. I really appreciate him as a coach and also a teacher,” says team captain Bethany Heitland. Coach Urban helped coach the team at tennis regionals, where half of the team qualified for state. Coach Urban will also help coach this Thursday the 10th as the season comes to an end at state. “Coaching has been a great experience. I love tennis because it is so fun and teaches you very quickly how to recover from failure.” explains Brent.

Fame is no stranger to Mr. Urban. With over fifty instagram posts with the hashtag “#Urbstagram”, he is very used to having his photo taken. An Urbstagram is any picture taken of Mr. Urban, usually depicting him doing one of his “classic Urbs” moves. “Urbstagram was started probably four years ago by Mikaela Martinez and is run completely by students. I have never Urbstagrammed anything. I do own the @urbstagram handle though. The most interesting thing that anyone has ever said to me was this teenager from Palmer who said ‘You’re a trending hashtag’,” reminisces the teacher. Whether or not you’ve Urbstagrammed before, the hashtag is definitely worth checking out.

“Urbs has been teaching for 19 years, and this man keeps getting better by the year,” proclaims student Hannah Widger. Brent has a teaching style that encourages students to be proactive in their work and treats them not as children, but as adults. “Mr. Urban is always a positive influence on my day. Whether it’s good or bad, he always makes it better.” reveals fifth year Spanish student Alena Wroe. Brent Urban makes relationships with his students that aren’t just surface level- he reaches out to everyone and wants the best for us all. “He cares about us,” reflects student Sierra Miesner, “not just about our grades but our actual well-being.” This man doesn’t just let us pass through his classroom following the motions. Mr. Urban genuinely cares about his students and really sees us for the people we are. That’s what makes him the incredible teacher he is.