Written by Gina B. Cornick | 02 February 2010

2009 SNANC School Nurse of the Year

Linda Raker Rogers RN, FNP, NCSN

The School Nurse Association of North Carolina is pleased to announce Linda Raker Rogers of Wake County as the North Carolina School Nurse of the Year 2009. Linda has been described as "a skilled clinician and the embodiment of a strong, caring, and professional school nurse....she makes an effort to see every health concern as a serious concern, and in many situations, not only calms the student, but also the staff and parents."

Linda has spearheaded numerous activities and events for her schools, as well as serving as a student nurse preceptor for UNC-CH nursing students. Some of the projects in schools Linda initiated include "Body Works", "Girl Power", "Reading as an Alternative to Television", and "MRSA" education.

Linda holds multiple volunteer positions in her church and community. She has served as "Nurse of the Day" in the NC Legislature. She has served on the Wake County Board of Health. She is the founder and past president of Playspace, a community play program for children. Previous awards include the 2006 North Carolina Great 100 Nurses. She is a nationally certified school nurse and a certified asthma educator.

Congratulations Linda! We thank you for all you do for the school children, their families and the community!

Linda can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Written by Gina B. Cornick | 02 February 2010

The School Nurse Association of North Carolina is pleased to announce Claudia Vepraskas of Wake County as the 2009 School Nurse Administrator of the Year. Claudia has used her knowledge and experience to find better and more effective ways to train school staff, support school nurses and educate the community in the role of the school nurse. She developed a Powerpoint program entitled "The Role of the Administrative Assistant in the School Setting" to not only train staff, but to promote the role of the school nurse in the school setting. Claudia is a gifted writer and has written more than 30 school nursing care plans, multiple PTA school health articles and actively assists in policy and procedure development in her county.

Claudia has served in leadership roles at the regional and state levels in the SNANC association, including serving as the SNANC Central Region President. She was published in the 2006 Journal of School Nursing with her article "Beat the Heat: Managing Heat and Hydration in Marching Band". Other publications include "Peanuts for Julia", Ordinary Miracles in Nursing: True Stories of Health and Healing. Claudia is a past recipient of the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina. She has been a crusader for school nursing legislation at the regional, state and national levels.

School personnel and fellow nurses call Claudia the "Wonder Nurse" with her sense of humor and her kind, nonjudgmental, and respectful way she interacts with students and staff alike.

We congratulate you, Claudia, for your dedication, leadership, and tireless energy given to the students, families, and staff in your school community and across our state!

Claudia can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Written by Administrator | 25 January 2010

March 14-21, 2010

Poster Contest

Posters must be postmarked by March 1, 2010

Students up to 13 years old. There are 2 groups: 8 & under and 9-13.

Students should design a poster about poison prevention on 8 ½ X 11 paper. All contestants must do their own work. The back of each poster should include:
• The student’s name, age, grade level
• The school’s name, facilitator’s name, school address, and phone number

Themes

Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons
Poisonings Span a Lifetime
Posters must illustrate one of the themes, and remember, spelling counts. Exact wording of the theme is not required. Specific brand or product names should not be mentioned.

For previous poster ideas and winners, visit www.poisonprevention.org/poster.

1st place, $65
2nd place, $35
Winners will also be publicized on Carolinas Poison Center’s website and promoted to the media.

Submit entries to:
Carolinas Poison Center
Attn: Poison Information & Education Coordinator
PO Box 32861
Charlotte, NC 28232
Contact Alexa Steverson with questions: 704-512-3749 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Video Contest

National Poison Prevention Week is almost here, and we want YOU to help us spread the word. Make a 30-60 second video about poison prevention, and you could win a $100 Visa gift card or an iPod shuffle.

NC students between 10-18 years old

Visit www.ncpoisoncenter.org for more details on how to enter.

Written by Administrator | 10 August 2009

Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports tool kit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the availability of the final version of the Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports tool kit. Help your coaches prevent Traumatic Brain Injury with this free kit. It can be ordered or downloaded free-of-charge at: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Coaches_Tool_Kit.htm

Written by Administrator | 10 August 2009

(revision January 2008)
This document is available to download on the North Carolina Healthy Schools Web site at: www.nchealthyschools.org.
Pre-printed copies are distributed to each school district and each local health department, based on projected kindergarten enrollment. Other health care providers may print forms for their use from the Web site. No earlier forms should be accepted for enrollment.

Written by Administrator | 10 August 2009

This map, published by the North Carolina Division of Public Health, shows the state divided into regions by county and includes contact information for each regional school nurse consultant.
Click here to access.
updated March 2008

Written by Administrator | 10 August 2009

North Carolina's partnership with many agencies in the use of school health service data was showcased in a poster presentation at American Public Health Association annual conference in San Diego November 2008. Author Jessica Gerdes, State School Nurse Consultant, and co-authors Winston Liao and Elizabeth Mizelle, described the process of school health services data collection, dissemination and utilization.

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Written by Administrator | 07 July 2009

The second Annual Marilyn H. Asay Scholarship for School Nurse Leadership was awarded to Leslie Ricker from Goldsboro at the SNANC Annual Meeting in September.  The SNANC Website has been updated with the current winner’s information and photograph.  The Marilyn Asay Scholarship Committee is in the process of reviewing the application forms for 2009 and the forms will be posted on the website in the near future. The application forms will be able to be downloaded on the SNANC Website.

SNANC members and SNANC Regions are encouraged to make donations to the Scholarship Fund.  Remember school nurses for special events like birthdays and retirement by making a donation in their honor. To make a tax deductible donation send a check payable to Marilyn H. Asay Fund for School Nurse Leadership to Barbara Chapman-Nellis, Treasurer SNANC, 400 Park Drive, Williamston, NC  27892.

Written by Administrator | 07 July 2009

Nominations for President Elect and Treasurer are open.  I urge all Board members to submit names of interested persons.

We also urge nominations for “School Nurse of the Year” and “School Nurse Administrator of the Year”. Applications are on the SNANC website.  Deadline for all nominations is May 15, 2009.

Written by Administrator | 07 July 2009

• Legal in Issues in Nursing Update April 29, 2009, Friday Center, Chapel Hill, Registration $149, CEU’s tba.  For more information on courses visit http://nursing.cll.unc.edu.

• Pediatric Assessment for Nurses:  An Overview May 29, 2009, registration is $40 through AHEC at Johnston Health in Smithfield.  5.5 CEU’s.  http://www.wakeahec.org/CourseCatalog/Brochures/pedsnursing09.pdf .

• NC School Nurse Conference Oct 27 & 28 (Tues & Wed), 2009, Friday Center, Chapel Hill. Venue will only hold 550 participants and is expected to sell out. Registration $150 before Oct. 1; $190 after Oct 1. Usually 9 CEU’s. http://www.sph.unc.edu/nciph/25th_annual_north_carolina_school_nurse_conference_6940_7843.html.

Written by Administrator | 07 July 2009

I attended the School Mental Health Planning Group on November 14, 2008. This was the second meeting of this group.  Leaders of professional stakeholder groups attended these meetings and discussed barriers to mental health access in schools.  There will be position statement coming out of this group which will be used to advocate for expanded school mental health services.

Written by Administrator | 07 July 2009

Due to the mandated reductions in state expenses, all state personnel, including the regional school nurse consultants, must limit their travel to “mission critical” activities. If you believe your school district would benefit from a visit by the regional school nurse consultant, please contact her. The support of your administration in requesting the visit would be helpful toward obtaining approval for the travel.

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