As the school day at Wellsville-Middletown on May 6 was coming down to its final minutes, Heidi Pollock and Tara Calton had reason to celebrate.

Pollock was named the recipient of the R-I Positive Educator Award and Calton earned the Tiger Award. They were recognized in front of the R-I students during a brief ceremony at the school’s gymnasium.

Pollock and Calton received certificates and flowers from W-M Junior High English teacher Niki Freie, who is the president of the CTA (Community Teachers Association).

Pollock, an art teacher for the district, received her award in her second year at W-M. She worked at Clopton before joining the W-M staff in 2024.

“I love it here,” Pollock said. “I definitely plan on calling this place home.”

Last year, W-M handed out the Teacher of the Year award for the first time in several years. This year, the school district decided to make a change, handing out two awards. The Positive Educator Award is given to the most outstanding teacher at W-M for the 2025-26 school year. The Tiger Award is handed out to support staff members such as custodians, bus drivers and maintenance workers.

Other candidates for the Positive Educator Award were Roni Bradley, Jon Deering, Skyler Durham, Jenny Spiers and Katlyn Thull. Pollock was awarded the honor because of her passion for arts, dedication to her students and her impact to the school community.

“It means a lot,” Pollock said. “I was not expecting to get it. But when we talked about this award, I felt like it should go to somebody who tries to make a positive impact on the kids on a daily basis and tries to put the kids before themselves on a regular basis.”

Calton won the Tiger Award for her outstanding efforts as the school’s nurse.

“I have learned that school nursing is challenging,” said Calton, who has been working at the school district for four years. “I thought that I was going from a challenging medical career to a little bit lighter of a lifestyle in which I have learned very quickly that this is a very challenging job. It’s a whole different type of nursing, but I think that I have absolutely fallen in love with it.”

Calton graduated from W-M in 1997. She said she enjoys working at her alma mater.

“It is hard some days to get up and keep going with life on how it is,” Calton said. “We’ve got so many things going on in our lives. But getting up and knowing that you’re coming to this school, it changes everything. It changes the mood, it changes the way you see things. It’s a place where you can help in all different ways. Then, you get to be among your community members and you get to watch them grow and you get to keep them safe, healthy and happy.”