When Cecelia Valencia was in kindergarten at Camelot Elementary School, she remembers going to the school nurse to check her hearing. She had no idea then how much time she would end up spending in the nurse’s office at Camelot.
They didn’t discover a medical condition.
She discovered her purpose.
After attending Ed White Middle School and graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1988, Valencia became a registered nurse and returned to where it all started.
“On my first day, I was in the Camelot cafeteria, and I heard someone call my name. It was my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hahn! She remembered me. She’s the one who took me to the nurse to get my hearing checked. She gave me one of those hugs only a kindergarten teacher can give.”
Since then, Valencia has worked at Steubing Ranch Elementary School and is now the nurse for North East ISD’s Pre-K Academy at West Avenue. She has helped students and staff with all sorts of issues—from feeding tubes to medications and emergency first aid. Valencia has been the calm during the chaos for NEISD families for 20 years now.
“My favorite part of this job is just being there, helping the students and talking to the parents. It sounds so cliché, but just making a difference in a kid’s life is everything.”
But Valencia isn’t just making an impact on students’ lives. NEISD nurses are often the medical experts for their communities. As a result, Valencia is constantly fielding questions from parents and community members about clinics, medical care, health insurance and other medical-related needs.
“It’s bigger than just a Band-Aid. We are not only school nurses. Sometimes we are a teacher. Sometimes we are a counselor. Sometimes they come in for a stomachache, but it’s not really that. Sometimes they may just need emotional support. It’s not just a Band-Aid physically. Sometimes it’s a Band-Aid emotionally too. NEISD nurses work so hard every day. They do amazing things every day. I believe my colleagues are the true heroes in our District.”
May 6 -12 is National Nurses Week. NEISD wants to thank all the dedicated nurses and clinic assistants throughout our District who work so hard to keep our students, staff and visitors safer and healthy.
