After 37 years of service to the Union City School District, Dr. Melissa Tomcho is preparing to retire.
Students, faculty, and community members gathered at Union City Elementary School to celebrate Tomcho’s legacy with an emotional bench dedication ceremony honoring the impact she has made on generations of students.
Throughout her career, Tomcho has helped shape the education of three generations of Union City students, serving as a social studies teacher, assistant principal, and principal across the district.
“I love her. She’s my best friend in the school. She’s the best,” said student Joseph Lowery.
One of the qualities colleagues say set Tomcho apart was her ability to learn and remember every student’s name, despite leading a school of more than 400 children.
“She knows every single one of the kids’ names, by their first names, and she knows it within the first week of school,” said Pre-K teacher Jeannette Boyd.
Tomcho admitted it is not always easy.
“On occasion, I will admit I am like, ‘Wait, is that Clark? Is that Chase? Is that a Brynlie or a Bailey?’” Tomcho said. “But I am very strategic about that. If they feel welcomed and they feel loved, and it’s inviting, then they’ll want to be here.”
To recognize her decades of dedication, the district presented Tomcho with a commemorative bench and scrapbook celebrating her years of service.
“She’s given so much time and dedicated to Union City that this little bench is just a little token of our appreciation,” Boyd said.
The tribute came as a surprise to Tomcho.
“I never imagined something of the sort,” she said. “I just figured I’d finish this year and, you know, I’d pack my office up on my last day and move out. I just didn’t imagine anything like this.”
Tomcho said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and traveling, while leaving behind a legacy that has touched countless students, families, and educators throughout the Union City community.