The Virgin Islands Department of Education will join the nation in recognizing and celebrating teachers and school nurses during the month of May. In anticipation of National Teacher’s DayonTuesday, May 4 and School Nurses Day on Wednesday, May 12, Commissioner Dr. La Verne Terry asks residents across the territory to acknowledge and show appreciation for the contributions teachers and school nurses make daily to the lives of students, their families and the community.
Terry said, “The importance and impact of teachers on children, families and entire communities is magnanimous. In fact, few other professionals touch as many people and lives as teachers do. Therefore, it is only fitting that we recognize and honor the efforts of these dedicated men and women for their passion and skills, and thank them for all that they do on behalf of our students and the future of this territory.” The week long observance of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7, is held in conjunction with the National PTA.
“The role of the school nurse is as varied as the spectrum of the rainbow. School nurses work in pre-schools, elementary, middle and high schools; they work in public, private, parochial and charter schools; they work in urban, suburban and rural districts; they work in wealthy, middle class or poverty-stricken areas; they work at the grass roots level; they are coordinators or supervisors, consultants and educators. It was not so long ago that our senses were heightened by the threat of the H1N1 virus. School nurses were at the forefront of our efforts to increase awareness of the virus and teaching students, staff and families about prevention,” she said.
National Teacher Day was created in 1953 by the 81st Congress at the persuasion of Eleanor Roosevelt and Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte.
National School Nurse Daywas established in 1972 to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting. It is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurse Week, celebrated in 2010 from May 10-14.
