Conn. (WTNH) — As the school comes to a close we can’t help but express gratitude to those who helped keep our school buildings safe. Our school nurses were there every step of the way keeping our students and staff healthy.

Dr. Kris Lindsay-Stevens is the Director of Student Services for Regional District 17 and she tells News 8, “Well I think it’s fair to say that they’re at their job responsibilities essentially double this year.”

As one of her many tasks, she is the supervisor for all of the district’s school nurses. She says, “So our nurses have been unbelievably hard-working and dedicated and getting this done at a time when there’s really not been a great playbook for doing that.”

Nicole Tucker is a school nurse. This is her second year in that role and she says, “It’s definitely been a challenge for sure but it’s also, you know, it’s been my pleasure to help the community.”

Many of our nurses went above and beyond this year. Tucker was one, “The middle school starts at 8 a.m. and my day will end at 3 o’clock, the vaccination clinics would be after school sometimes or on the weekends and then I would work at the hospital off shifts as well.”

There for her community and state during the pandemic.

Lori Kenney is the Regional District 17 School Nurse Coordinator. She says, “This has been an unprecedented school year; we did not stop when the bell rang at the end of the day.”

Kenney has been a nurse for 37 years and this year she worked tirelessly to make sure all five schools and four buildings were safe for everyone to be there.

From contact tracing to COVID-19 testing, it was a round the clock job.

For Kenney, it was rewarding, “Knowing the success of being open all year in this particular district was really rewarding.”

Meantime everyone, like Lindsay-Stevens, is giving their thanks, “We couldn’t run our schools without our school nurses they keep us safe they keep smiling.”