Gilford High nurse named NH School Nurse of the Year

GILFORD — Being a school nurse isn’t just about patching up cuts and checking students' temperatures. It's about being entrusted with the wellbeing of hundreds of students and staff members every day.

For her work above and beyond the call, Gilford High School nurse Meg Jenkins has been named New Hampshire School Nurse of the Year by the National Association of School Nurses.

“I am so honored,” she said. “This is by far the best job I’ve ever had. Ever. I found my passion, and it didn’t come in a vacuum. I didn’t turn a corner and say, ‘I love school nursing.’ It came with some really good days, and some really hard days.”

Jenkins has 43 years of nursing experience, with 32 years as the school nurse at Gilford High. Principal Anthony Sperazzo said the award not only says a lot about her time at the school, but also the time she's put in with the district and the community.

Jenkins grew up in Hamden, Connecticut, but has been in Gilford since November 1985, when she enrolled her son in kindergarten. This is where she met elementary school nurse Rosanne Sheridan, who became one of her “great mentors.”

In 1994, there was an opening at the high school, and she decided to apply, despite never thinking it would be part of her career trajectory. She had been involved in hospital nursing, and when she moved to the area, she was the director of nurses at the Peabody Home in Franklin. Jenkins then moved over to the Laconia Clinic, before doing five years of home care.

“That gave me the ability to think independently,” she said. “So, even without a ton of pediatric experience, it set me up to be in this building.”

Jenkins developed relationships with guidance and special education departments immediately.

About 16 years ago, Jenkins got involved with the NH School Nurses Association, and went back to school to earn her master’s degree in health care administration, at the suggestion of her peers and coworkers.

In 2021, Jenkins received her national certification in school nursing, joining about 5,000 others around the country.

She is also the state director of the National Association of School Nurses, which is a four-year term that has allowed her to set policy and guidelines for school nurses. Jenkins has been able to go to Washington, D.C., to lobby to federal government officials, who she said have been supportive of her initiatives.

“The more you know, the better you do,” she said. “The more you’re exposed to other programs, the better. So, I have always tried to bring the best to our faculty, staff, and kids. It is a true honor to be entrusted with the health and wellbeing of 600 people a day. Anybody who walks in the building, I would be the person. My practice has evolved as I have evolved.”

Jenkins has also been on the board of Gilford Got Lunch!, which she now chairs. Sperazzo stressed how important this is to so many.

“Meg has been instrumental in supporting students,” Sperazzo said. “No matter what their age is, they will not go without food. She does that 365 days a year. It’s not when we shut down for COVID. It didn’t stop. It was more so. During holiday breaks and summer. People are still working behind the scenes, and Meg is one of those people.”

The nomination for Nurse of the Year came from Kelley Caravona, the student assistance coordinator who also coordinates behavioral health initiatives for the school district. Caravona and Jenkins work collaboratively to make sure there are positive trends in youth risk behavioral survey results.

“Meg is a go-to for me,” Caravona said. “I have been collaborating with Meg even before I was an employee with the district. I previously worked in public health, and as you can imagine, education is a sector where we engaged regularly on evidence-based strategies for young people in prevention. Meg was at tables, sharing her expertise.”

Caravona said Jenkins is a “connector of dots,” and once she started in Gilford five years ago, she realized quickly they would be working hand in hand.

Jenkins said kids are like onions, and you need to peel back the layers. She said of course there are the physical things, like red throats and swollen glands, but she sees how kids are affected physically by stress.

“People think anxiety is all hooey, but it’s not,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes it takes a couple visits in my office, even with my experience, to peel back the layer. After COVID, we all got better addressing the mental health side, and now it is part of my regular assessment, even with the physical stuff.”

Jenkins said she checks in with students about how they are doing on any given day, and about their life, and that resonates with them. She said sometimes, even if their life is going well, it can all crash down in one day. Then there are the physical aspects, as her office has a bathroom for students who need privacy.

Jenkins also helps the school community when it comes to tragedy, and she noted the district has had its share. As a longtime member of the Gilford community, she said she not only relates directly to others' emotions, she feels them along with them. Jenkins has long been a source of guidance and comfort.

Jenkins said she has been extremely fortunate to be supported by the administration, school board, and taxpayers.

“There is never a question about money needed for students, ever,” Jenkins said. “If I say I need money for something, we’ll find it. I see myself as a leverager for information. I don’t have all the answers, but I have a lot of connections.”

Jenkins said working with students is not only a passion, but has resulted in her developing trust with students. She gets to know all of them, but said she sees “10% of the students 90% of the time.”

“That’s kind of a measure I use,” Jenkins said. “I see a lot of kids, but some I don’t lay eyes on for four years. And you know, good for them. They’re healthy and well, but you know, not everyone needs medical support. Some just need a check-in.”

Sperazzo said she oversees all students, because she also supervises athletic events. While she may not have all students in her office, she is there if someone needs her.

Caravona said she also serves on teams within the building that provide support for all students, so even though they might not be leveraging student health office services, she has a hand in identifying interventions that work.

“I think she has a broader impact just on participation in groups,” Caravona said. “I do think she is uniquely positioned to sometimes influence systems in how we do things, and not just the day-to-day with students.”

Caravona said when she became aware of the nomination process and the deadline for school nurse of the year, she made a note to consider this for Jenkins. She worked with her for background information, gathered letters of support, and when she found out Jenkins was the recipient, she was ecstatic.

Sperazzo got on a microphone during the last day of Winter Carnival in February to make the announcement. Students were overjoyed when Jenkins received her bouquet of flowers from the staff. Some called her “the GOAT,” and were clearly excited for someone who they see as an ally and a source of guidance.

It was a day Jenkins will never forget. She holds immense pride in what she has been able to bring to the school community for more than three decades, and the award is a testament to the work she has put in.

“Do what you love, love what you do, and it’s never work,” Jenkins said. “As nurses, we are masters of the ice packs and bandaids, but I think you can see, as a school nurse, we do a lot more than ice packs and bandaids.”

Jenkins will be honored at the NH Excellence in Education Awards on Saturday, June 6, at the DoubleTree hotel, in Manchester.