HCS recognizes National School Nurse Day

School nurses play an important role supporting the staff and students in our schools. This past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been especially vital to supporting the health and safety of Hampton City Schools.

Nurses are not only available every day to assist our students and staff with injuries, illnesses, and general support, but during this year they have played a vital part in getting HCS employees vaccinated during the COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Nurses not only performed their regular duties at their schools, but they spent many days administering vaccinations at the Hampton Convention Center. Many even volunteered their weekends to assist in the citywide efforts. Spearheading the effort and leading by example is the division’s own coordinator of health services Glory Gill. Gill, along with her assistant Lee Gear have put their heart, soul, and time in serving the students and staff of HCS.

“Our school nurses have not only provided care for students and staff within our schools in the traditional way, but this year have taken on even more,” said Gill. “I am so proud of the services our nurses assisted in providing Hampton city employees and HCS employees with COVID vaccinations. We also provided needed vaccinations to the most vulnerable of our city's population. It was a great honor working with Hampton city EMS, emergency management, parks and recs, and other agencies to provide this service. Our school nurses have been assisting the Virginia Department of Health in contact tracing within our schools ensuring that positive cases are identified, education is provided, and quarantine has been accomplished thus meeting our health mitigation plan providing a safe and healthy environment in our schools. Our school nurses epitomizes the HCS motto, providing for ‘Every Student, Every Day, Whatever it Takes’.”

“Nurse Glory Gill is a true professional, problem solver, and seeks to always help others. This year her work was instrumental to each of us in HCS. From writing mitigation plans, conducting contact tracing, organizing our vaccine clinic to simply answering her phone to offer health guidance. Nurse Gill's resiliency and commitment to health and safety helped carry us through a unique and challenging time,” shared Trena Hatcher, executive director of student support for Hampton City Schools.