Pencils click as Kalin Wells stands in front of her classroom. Students listen as the biology teacher speaks. Minutes pass by and new information is put into everyone’s heads as notes are written and copied.

On April 2, administrators announced the Teacher of the Year Award. Wells and math teacher Ryan Race were announced as the two winners for the year. This is the second year that the high school has named Teachers of the Year, and Wells is the first female to win.

“Earning the Teacher Of The Year Award is not something everyone wins,” Wells said. “I feel very humbled and honored about being awarded with this.”

Wells has been a teacher for 16 years. She teaches Pre-Ap and AP biology classes and coaches science UIL.

“There is a lot you have to put into teaching,” Mrs. Wells said. “Caring about your students, to be successful in and out of class is very important. I do have to say that teaching is the hardest and most rewarding job you could ever have.”

Many students  say that Wells’ class is definitely one of the hardest classes in their day.

“I think Mrs. Wells teaches her subject very well,” freshman Brooke Miller said. “I feel like her class is only hard if you make it out to be. She gives out a lot of work, but I feel like it’s for the better.”

Studies show that teaching high school is one of the hardest jobs. This entails working with hormones and attitudes that students don’t know how to deal with.

“Being able to build a foundation for my students to thrive on and build a bond with them is something I try to do often,” Wells said. “I feel without having a bond with my students you can’t really get to them fully.

To win Teacher of the Year, teachers vote for who they think will best suit the award. After the teachers take a vote, the most picked names goes to the administrators, they choose the best option.

“I’m not too sure what goes into being the teacher of the year,” Miller said. “But she is by far the most hard working teacher I have. Mrs. Wells finds a way to teach her students in a way they can understand, and it has helped me be successful throughout the year.”