In our school there are a lot of different people working in different positions. We have our teachers, our lunch ladies and men, all the people who work in the office including the principal and the assistant principal. However, there are a lot of unsung heroes of our school who get overlooked doing the best job they can. Holli Poe is our school nurse who works hard every day to make sure our students are safe and healthy. She is a CCMA which is a nurses assistant. Poe is also mother to two girls.
The idea of having a job where Poe can stay on the same schedule as her kids and work with students seemed like the perfect job for her. Next school year will mark 9 years of Poe working for New Castle Community School Corporation.
Having a job in health care can be stressful on it’s own but working in a big school especially during COVID has added to it. When asked how COVID has impacted working as a nurse at the school, Poe said that she “was already used to constantly adapting, but we’ve never had to deal with such frequent changes. It was very stressful with ever-changing guidelines.”
Frequent changes can be difficult on the average person, but Poe has worked hard to make sure that she knows the guidelines and is able to keep her students safe with the way everything is today.
Poe’s favorite thing about working as a nurse in the school opposed to another health care facility is helping and working with the students. Poe has a harder job than most people believe and has a lot of different responsibilities. During a regular school year, Poe is responsible for a number of different health, safety, and emergency actions. That includes, but not limited to: managing children with chronic conditions, educating staff on student health safety and emergency plans, managing the immunization status of each student, etc.
Poe, as New Castle High School’s nurse, works very hard to keep us all safe and wants the best for her students’ futures. “The only time you should look back, is to see how far you’ve come,” said Poe. She plays an intracule part in us being able to come back in the building and keep us here. By keeping us safe, she ensures our future for our time in the building and long after we leave here.
We thank Mrs. Poe for being a true hero to students and we appreciate everything you do for our school.
