District 58 Nurse Honored with Excellence Award

The following article was submitted by Downers Grove Grade School District 58.

Kathleen Kelly began her nursing career in a hospital setting, working in pediatric and neonatal intensive care and maternal child health—but her 23 years as a school nurse have provided her with an entirely unique set of challenges.

“Once I was called upon to loosen a pet hermit crab’s ‘death grip’ from the palm of a tearful second-grader’s hand. As a mother of daughters, I wasn’t used to slimy pets! Warm water did the trick,” said Kelly, who works at Lester and Highland schools. “On another occasion, while gathering a sick student’s belongings to send him home, I was handed his pet tarantula, Rosie. This was a bit much for the arachnophobic person that I am, but, fortunately, deep-breathing techniques that I learned in Lamaze class kept me from fainting while escorting Rosie to her owner.”

The quick thinking, compassion, exceptional knowledge base, and willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure the health and safety of students that have exemplified Kelly’s career also have earned her the respect of her peers. On May 7, Kelly, who will retire at the end of this school year, was honored with a Recognition of Nursing Excellence Award through the DuPage County chapter of the School Nurse Association.

“Kathie is an informed and highly responsible professional who strives to stay current in regards to all new health regulations as they pertain to school districts,” wrote Terry Martin, District 58 Assistant Superintendent for Special Services, one of a number of District 58 staffers who submitted nomination letters on behalf of Kelly. “The District 58 parent community holds Mrs. Kelly in high regard. She is recognized for her expertise, compassion, and sensitivity to confidentiality in addressing student health issues.”

She also is a sounding board and guide, her District 58 nursing colleagues wrote.

“Kathie doesn’t just answer our questions, she provides resources, and completes a small research project to make sure all of us are truly practicing current, evidenced based care for our students and families,” wrote Sue Donahue, Ann Brinkman, Debbie Dvorak and Katie Casey. “Kathie always takes time for us, never telling us to figure things out on our own. Her experience has been invaluable to us! Without discussion, Kathie does things to make the nurses jobs easier by posting family resources on the district website, organizing nurse meetings and sharing inservice materials. She has made a difference in our busy roles, by being there in her quiet way. Words cannot describe our gratitude for her help.”  

Kelly said she has loved being able to work with children every day, as well as the variety of responsibilities that the job has offered.

“To the casual observer, the job of the school nurse all about Band-Aids and ice packs. In reality, the job involves carrying out a variety of tasks: vision/hearing screening, dental care, nutrition, managing communicable illnesses, chronic health issues, medication, school health records, collecting statistical data for the state, monitoring absenteeism, making physician referrals and participating in health education, to mention a few,” Kelly said.

Today, there are more reasons than ever to have nurses present in the schools, she said.

“With high rates of unemployment, many families lack resources to access medical care. Greater numbers of students come to school sick because both parents need to be at work. Large numbers of children dependent on medical technology are now mainstreamed into regular classrooms,” she said. “Food allergies, anxiety/stress related issues and Autism Spectrum Disorders are more prevalent among today's school population. While schools are in the business of educating children, there is no denying the link between health and academics. M. Jocelyn Elders, the U.S. Surgeon General said it best: ' You can't educate a child who isn't healthy and you can't keep a child healthy who isn't educated.'”

A parent of a student with whom Kelly has worked wrote that Kelly has always demonstrated the qualities of an exceptional school nurse in her daily practice.         

“At the age of 8 my son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her calm, caring, professional manner helped us through a very difficult time,” the parent wrote.

Kelly said it’s difficult to believe that she is completing her 23rd year as a school nurse.

“I'm happy to say that I still enjoy what I do. I feel so fortunate to have been associated with District 58 for all these years,” she said. “It's truly been a privilege to work with such a group of dedicated professionals. While I'm looking forward to retirement, I will miss the daily encounters with the students, parents and staff of District 58.”

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