Members of Poland Huddle, a group of women who work to positively impact the community, recently recognized the school nurses of Regional School Unit 16 for the work they do and acknowledged the valiant effort they are making this school year.

In this time of COVID, the nurses’ work load has expanded. Teachers and parents rely on them to answer questions about the virus, vaccinations, quarantining and more. Nurses handle contact tracing and help to set up immunization clinics in the school community.

Huddle members prepared and presented winter solstice bags for each nurse in the district. The bags, meant to shine a little light in the darkest days, contained comfort items like bath salts, lip balm, candles and M&Ms, prescribed to “relieve stress, anxiety or frustration.”

Special school nurse face masks and hand-painted stones declaring that “school nurses rock,” were also in each bag.

Those receiving these tokens of appreciation were district nurse Dottie Foster Bagley, Poland Community School nurse Louise Robinson, Elm Street School nurse Laurie Camire, Minot Consolidated School nurse Mary Wallace, and nurses based at Whittier Middle and Poland Regional High schools, Pam Tracy and substitute nurses Carol Brocker, Jessica Taylor and Kaitlyn Moreau.