Chicago Public Schools Celebrates Vital Role of School Nurses

CHICAGO – Nurses across Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are getting shoutouts and recognition as the District celebrates National Nurses Week, which runs every year from May 6 through May 12. Among the roughly 600 nurses across CPS, the most exemplary have been honored with awards in recent days and the accolades continued through this week at various schools.

“The nurses in our schools are absolutely vital to our educational system. They are healthcare providers, public health educators, and advocates who are constantly planning and coordinating services to ensure the long-term physical, social, and emotional development of our students,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “We commend them for this work and look forward to Nurses Week every year to draw even more attention to the critical role they play in our schools.”

Nurses across the District do much more than bandage skinned knees and administer medication. They also assess students’ health and learning needs to develop individualized plans for education and care, providing critical support for children whose medical conditions might otherwise limit or prevent classroom participation with peers.

Each year, students, school families, colleagues, and CPS staff submit nominations for the nurses they feel have gone above and beyond in their care of students. The District gives out two types of awards for nurses, the ROSE Award and the DAISY Award.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our school nurses. They deserve recognition every day of the year, and this week is a wonderful opportunity for our District to highlight their invaluable contributions to our schools,” said TaShunda Green, Deputy Chief of CPS’ Office of Student Health and Wellness.

Deputy Chief Green established the ROSE (Recognition of Service Extraordinaire) Award in 2022 to recognize nurses who demonstrate outstanding service in one of five categories: Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence.

This year’s ROSE Award recipients:
Valeda Shaver, LPN, Walter S. Christopher Elementary School
Carrie Ann Pilman, CSN, Ella Flagg Young Elementary School
Bria Wilson, LPN, Orozco Academy
Jennifer Leist, HSN, North River Elementary School

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from an auto-immune disease. The Foundation partners with various healthcare organizations and schools of nursing worldwide, and CPS is the first educational system to join the Foundation in honoring nurses in a school health setting.

“School nurses play a critical role in the health and well-being of our youth,” said DAISY CEO Dr. Deb Zimmermann. “We salute these clinicians for providing an array of care and health education. Through our collaboration with the Chicago Public School System, we gratefully recognize and celebrate the contributions of these nurses.”

This year’s DAISY Award recipients:
Paramita Chatterjee, CSN, Irma C. Ruiz Elementary School
Yolanda Moreno, HSN, John Hancock College Preparatory High School
Kattenia Suggs Braxton, CNS, Asa Philip Randolph Elementary School
Shamara Carey, LPN, Oscar DePriest Elementary School
Kathleen Manley, CSN, William J. Onahan Elementary School
Cassandra Walton, CSN, Roswell B. Mason Elementary School