To keep students informed about healthy habits they should practice, school nurse Jennifer Kaufman decorates a bulletin board outside the nurse’s office every season with creative cartoons and motivational messages
For years, Kaufman has been designing the bulletin board residing outside of the nurse’s office with attractive designs and messages about practicing better health during different seasons.
For example, as spring rolls around, Kaufman may do a bulletin board on pollen and seasonal allergies.
Currently, Kaufman has the bulletin board designed with American flags, and a play on the preamble of the Constitution, about keeping your lungs healthy, inspired by the 250th anniversary of America.
“I try and look for things that are in the news,” Kaufman said, “or things that I think are topics relevant to teenagers.”
For freshman Eleanor Gilbert, she believes the current bulletin board topic of vaping is relevant to high schoolers because it is an everyday occurrence where people get caught for it.
“It’s just a problem in our high school,” Gilbert says. “It’s an ongoing issue for teenagers, but not as much for adults, I would say.”
According to Kaufman, the goal is to make the board “eye-catching” and “bright” to get students to think about their environment and to educate them.
The nurses look for any way to inform students about making balanced and informed decisions, or even inspiring students who could potentially be interested in healthcare. The board is typically changed four times a year, as the seasons, environment and holidays change.
According to school nurse Bonnie Miller, being a small part of a student’s day and assisting them are important.
“Even if we impact just a couple of people a year, then that’s great,” Miller said. “We feel happy about that.”
Whether big or small, Miller always tries to “put some teaching” into their everyday care.
“It’s hard for us to make an impact anywhere as far as teaching people,” Miller says.
According to Miller, it can be difficult for nurses to communicate with students about what they should be looking out for.
“I think it’s hard, because we are kind of tucked around in the corner,” Miller said.
Gilbert thinks that a message like this in the cafeteria would also be effective in getting students to notice it. “People would see it more and think about it,” Gilbert said.
Not only does the information apply to teenagers, but it is also relevant to everyone’s life.
“Maintaining your health as an adolescent and through your lifetime [is important],” school nurse Kathy Holloway said. “Not just in [your] school life, but also outside.”