LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Christina Jones was nominated by her colleague, Delores Lloyd.

"As an educator, I have held several roles during my 25-year tenure, both inside and outside the classroom. Having held positions such as teacher, assistant principal, district coordinator, and principal, I have had the unique opportunity of working with many outstanding, dedicated professionals, but Christina Jones is one of those rare individuals who stands out amongst all those in her field and the field of education as a whole. For that reason, I would identify her as a LifeChanger," said Lloyd.

Mrs. Jones has been a nurse for 22 years and a nurse at Pleasant Acres Elementary School for five years. Pleasant Acres is a Title I school with an enrollment of 306 students. The school is approximately 83% low socio-economic, 23% of the students are English Language Learners, and 74% of the student population is non-white. Mrs. Jones works collaboratively with the administrative teams at every building in the district to support all medical needs. She provides medical assistance to the preschool classrooms, classroom teachers, and students housed in Pleasant Acres and supervises nurses across the district. As a district supervising nurse, Mrs. Jones trains the nurses in the district. She ensures all the educational procedural safeguards are adhered to as mandated by the state and federal government. 

"During the three years I have been at Pleasant Acres, I have observed Christina work tirelessly to ensure all medical information, training, and procedures have been provided, scheduled, or coordinated to guarantee the safety of our diverse student population. Christina begins the school year early, reviews the student rosters, and creates packets for all staff. The packets contain information about students' medical conditions and care, as well as supplemental information with facts about students' medical needs and care. Additionally, we have several students at our building with medical conditions requiring more knowledge than we, as teachers, have. In such instances, Christina has coordinated training to provide the necessary educational expertise for teachers to feel confident in providing adequate care for students before emergency personnel arrives if needed.

I personally have benefitted from Christina's care for students and coordination of training. Before the first day of school, Christina informed me that I would have a student in my class who had diabetes. She explained the type of diabetes the student has and willingly scheduled for me to attend a Diabetic Care Aid training session. This training was not only coordinated for me to attend, but for the administration and other teachers around the district. Following the training, Christina personally met with me to ensure all questions I may have had were answered. In addition to attending the training, Christina also coordinated a meeting with the parent and me to review the student's care plan and procedures to ensure both myself and the parent were clear regarding what care would be provided during school hours. This is just one example of how Christina works with families, school personnel, and professionals within her field to ensure our students' physical safety and the emotional and mental safety of parents, teachers, and administrators alike," said Lloyd.

Administering medication daily is the most time-consuming and challenging portion of Mrs. Jones' job as a school nurse. Students generally do not like to take medication. However, Mrs. Jones has turned this unpleasant experience into a more pleasurable experience for all students who dread it. She has built relationships with students and gotten to know their interests and hobbies. She uses this information to make coming to her office to take medication less unpleasant.

"I have a student who does not like to take medication. Christina learned he enjoys basketball, so she purchased a basketball hoop that hangs on the inside of her office door, and after he takes his medication, he is allowed to shoot a basket. This simple accommodation, care, and consideration have motivated him to take his medicine without reluctance and fostered her relationship with him. He has an entirely different disposition when it's time to take his medication because of Christina's efforts. She has also purchased toiletries for this student and others so they can brush their teeth, comb their hair and freshen up before attending class. She is truly changing children's lives each day," said Lloyd.

Mrs. Jones goes above and beyond her duties as a nurse. She prepares kits that include informational documentation, procedures, and supplies necessary to care for all students in an emergency when they attend field trips. Her care for students is demonstrated by her willingness to chaperone field trips so students can attend when parents are unavailable but have concerns about their child's medical conditions. Mrs. Jones chaperones so students do not miss out on these valuable educational experiences with their peers. 

Entirely outside of her role and responsibilities as a nurse and educational professional, Mrs. Jones has and continues to support students through anonymous donations. She has provided financial assistance so families can pay for services to keep medical equipment working to track diabetic students' sugar levels. She also purchased specific food items for students because they do not eat food provided by the school food program. For example, Mrs. Jones has talked with parents and teachers to find out what a child will eat, purchases the preferred foods, and provides them to students, so the child has something to eat. These are generally students who do not eat breakfast before school and do not eat the breakfast or lunch provided by the school. Mrs. Jones wants to ensure every student has the nutrition needed for proper brain functioning so they can focus on learning.

"Last year, I had a student who was just a very picky eater, and often, her mother would purchase a Lunchable for her to bring for lunch. On several occasions, the Lunchable was eaten by a teenage sibling, so the parent let the child know she would have to eat a school lunch. Since both Christina and I knew the student would not eat the school lunch, Christina purchased a lunchbox for the student, and every morning before coming to class, the student would go to Christina's office, and Christina would place a preferred Lunchable in the lunchbox so the student had something to eat for lunch.

In closing, there is so much more I could share that demonstrates Christina Jones' care for students, families, and educators, as well as her expertise, professionalism, and leadership in the field. She exemplifies the true qualities of a LifeChanger," said Lloyd.