School nurse honored for going above the call Kenny 'brings out the best' in students, staff at Truman BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff School nurse Charlene Kenny checks third-grader Melanie Bisaha's tonsils recently at the Harry S. Truman School in Parlin. Kenny was honored as Teacher of the Year for her work as a school nurse and a health educator. SAYREVILLE - It takes a special school nurse to win a Teacher of the Year award. But that was the honor bestowed upon Charlene Kenny, the Harry S. Truman School nurse and health educator. Kenny has earned the love and admiration of the school community for her work providing quality health care for students, according to Lisa Greene, a teacher at the school and past recipient of the award. "She is an exceptional member of our school community, as well as the Sayre- ville community, and numerous colleagues, myself included, nominated her for this award," Greene said. The award is part of the state Governor's Teacher Recognition program. Kenny has provided staff training related to health and exercise, orientation and screening work, and lesson plans for students of each grade level regarding leukemia. "This year she personally planned and presented a lesson for each grade level for our school-wide altruistic endeavor, 'Pennies for Patients,'" Greene said. "She explained this cause and what it means to have leukemia in a way that touched each student with a sense of empathy." Kenny said that Truman School students learn how to help their community and be altruistic with their time and talents. When they learned how leukemia impacts those with cancer, the students responded generously. "Once they learn about it, they are more than willing to give of themselves," she said. Kenny has 30 years' experience as a school nurse, 14 of those at Truman School. The Sayreville resident said it was an honor to be chosen as Teacher of the Year and to receive a plaque in recognition of her service. "I would like to thank my colleagues for nominating me and thinking that I deserve this award," Kenny said, also expressing gratitude to the school's principal, Linda Coffey. "I am happy that I am able to give back to the community that I grew up in." Kenny also expressed thanks to the staff members in her office and the teachers, who have assisted her in emergency situations in the past. "My faculty is amazing and my principal, Mrs. Coffey, is always there to help me," Kenny said. Prior to becoming a school nurse, Kenny worked at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, and Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch. Working at Truman School has not slowed her down, she noted. "It is very busy," Kenny said. "My day goes by very quickly. There are children in my room from the moment I come to the time I leave." Aschool nurse has an important role to fill within the school community. Kenny cited an example of a child coming to her with a cut. Kenny, in addition to providing treatment for the injury, will teach the child how to clean the area properly and look for signs of infection. "It is my job to promote an optimal level of wellness in each child," Kenny said. "Health habits are taught and learned by example. I take every opportunity I have to utilize a teachable moment." The school makes an effort to encourage healthy eating in the cafeteria, said Kenny, who gives stickers to students who make good food choices. The children, she noted, are eager to show her when they choose healthy snacks. "They see me as the person in charge of their health at the school," she said. When she was teaching students about the dangers of smoking, a child asked Kenny to call her father and explain different ways in which he could quit smoking. She called the parent, and he wound up being successful in his efforts to overcome the addiction. "The father has been smoke-free now for two years," Kenny said. "If I can touch one life, it is very important to me." Physical problems suffered by children, such as stomachaches, can sometimes be attributed to emotional problems, like a conflict that the student has with peers on the bus, Kenny said. "Once we work through the problem and we have a peer mediation, the child's problem is solved," Kenny said. If the child is distracted or preoccupied with problems at home or elsewhere, Kenny said she will work to address the problem to make sure that the child is ready to get as much out of school as possible. "If a child is not enjoying school, they are not going to learn," Kenny said. "I try to do what ever I can to get the child to love school." Kenny uses preventative measures to ensure that problems do not arise for children with serious asthmatic conditions, for example. Students who have been hospitalized several times for their asthma know that they can go to her on a cold day or when they are not feeling well so that she can check on their condition, she added. "That avoids a lot of problems, because what can happen is if they go outside and they already have some wheezing, it can exasperate the problem and they can have an asthma attack," Kenny said. Greene praised Kenny for her expertise in the area of health, which is due in part to her attendance at numerous conferences and workshops. Greene said Kenny's enthusiasm is evident in her visits to students and staff members in the hospital and her commitment to children who have medically complex situations and those who face difficulties at home. "She truly brings out the best in each and every one of us at Truman School," Greene said. "I hold her in the highest regard. She is someone to emulate and admire."