Kids at Yreka High School in Siskiyou, California know that one teacher is really looking out for their health. Our Nurse of the Week, BSN Amy Gaither, is a nurse-educator who tends to a very important patient demographic: Yreka High’s teens.
Since early 2020, of course, her purview has broadened well beyond the usual adolescent cases of asthma, gym injuries, and Pop Quiz Flu. Gaither still handles those things, naturally, but she has also been disseminating pandemic safety policies and planning logistics with the Siskiyou Department of Health and Board of Education. Then, somehow, she teaches four Health Occupations classes each day (kids probably knock on her classroom door at odd moments). And, she sometimes exercises her persuasive powers to recruit students to help out at the vaccination clinics at the local fairgrounds.
Gaither herself is quick to laud her colleagues, telling the Siskiyou Daily, “I couldn’t have done this without them,” but acknowledged, “It’s a challenging year for nurses. In my 32 years as a nurse, this has been my most difficult year yet.”
Yreka High is well aware of her value. Assistant Principal Rhoda Dawes says, “Amy is amazing,” and reflected that their school nurse’s leadership qualities helped sustain them during the long Covid ordeal: “[Amy] still comes to work with a smile on her face. This has been a tough year for her because of Covid, but she has been such a trooper, and I can’t say enough about how blessed we are to have her on staff.”
Dawes is far from being the only one to hold Amy Gaither in high esteem. In fact, last week, staff members bearing tributes crashed what Gaither had been told would be a student meeting. Tributaries from the Yreka High staff then presented gifts to the teary-eyed nurse:
- The Yreka High Horticulture class created a floral bouquet in her honor
- Yreka’s Shop teacher made a pen for the BSN
- Staff brought personal notes
- All of Gaither’s co-workers also pitched in to give her a much-needed vacation on the Oregon coast.
Colleagues were eager to show their appreciation for the responsibilities she has shouldered so well over the past year—and for her graceful management of the accompanying stress. As Vice Principal Dawes remarked, “Her job has been difficult. People don’t always want to hear they have to quarantine, but again she is so kind, she is genuine, and she truly cares about every staff member and student.” A deeply moved Gaither told a reporter, “They are the best here. I just cried. It meant so much to me.”
(DailyNurse respectfully suggests that ALL schools pay their nurses a similar tribute this year. It would be the right thing to do : ).
For more on Yreka High’s Amy Gaither and what we might call the Amy Gaither Appreciation Day Event, visit the Siskiyou Daily.
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