As the sound of drums reverberated off the walls of the lobby at Sterling Aviation High School, Nurse Veronica Myers instantly knew this wasn’t going to be a typical morning.

As she was cheered on by that school’s cheerleading squad, Myers was surprised with the Secondary Nurse of the Month award for May. With more than 50 nominations from Sterling’s faculty and staff, Myers was a standout nominee for the recognition.

Principal Sabrina Cuby-King praised Myers’ work on campus.

“Nurse Myers goes above and beyond,” she said. “She does amazing, amazing work with these students. I can’t say enough about the work she does.”

For Myers, the reason she comes to work every day is simple.

“It’s for the kids, it’s for the community, for the people I work with,” Myers said. “They keep me going every day.”

At Southmayd Elementary, a similar surprise was waiting for Nurse Kelley Curry in the sunlit library of that school. There, she was recognized as the Elementary Nurse of the Month.

A contingent of that school’s students was waiting to cheer her on. As Principal Sandra Cisneros pointed out, Southmayd is a small campus with limited funds and over 90% of the students are economically disadvantaged. As the school nurse, Curry reaches out to community partners that can provide social emotional and health related services to the families at little to no cost.

“For that reason, our entire community respects and values her commitment to our students’ wellbeing,” Cisneros said. “Through the pandemic she has been a trailblazer by quickly problem solving concerns and keeping everyone safe. While her position has been stressful to say the least, she has never lost her calm and nurturing demeanor.”

Curry was even nominated by her fellow nurses at other campuses.

“This is my first year as a school nurse, and in a year of many unprecedented circumstances, it has been full of tenuous transitions and bumps in the road,” Jenny Schwartz, nurse at neighboring Brookline Elementary, said. “[She] has been an incredible resource, mentor, friend and ally to me.”

Curry began her career in the hospital setting but chose to become a school nurse to “reach out more into the community.” She has been with Southmayd Elementary ever since.

“Southmayd welcomed me with open arms and I’ve appreciated it ever since,” Curry said. “I’ve loved every minute of it here.”