Music that Describes Courtney
Courtney Arcaro was nominated by her colleague, Kimberly Orff.
Ms. Arcaro has led the way through navigating the challenges of COVID-19 in her school. Never before has a school nurse's job been as difficult as it has been since March 2020. Ms. Arcaro was the first school nurse in Piscataquis County to start the Pooled Testing program, organizing and running it on her own. The tasks of contact tracing, pooled testing, COVID-19 BinaxNow rapid result testing, monitoring sick kids, and calling families with each exposure have been a real challenge for school nurses across America.
"Courtney is a great role model who's doing the best she can to support the students during in-person learning. This may not sound like a lot, but as a fellow school nurse, I can tell you that at least 80 percent of school nursing tasks have been dominated by the COVID response. The school nurse is still responsible for all of the original duties and well-being of the students in the school. Courtney is going above and beyond, and my hat's off to her," said Orff.
Courtney's dedication to our students, staff, and community is unmatched. Her job has been extremely challenging given the ever-changing impact of COVID but she is diligent about finding answers and getting the support she needs to get the job done! Her quiet voice of reason and calm in this storm has helped many of us to function in our own jobs through her leadership.
Without her and making sure that pool testing was established, and measures in place to contract trace, students and staff would have missed countless hours of instruction, as well as time with their peers which is greatly needed. All of these are above dealing with the normal school nurse duties of sick kids/adults, complex medical issues, and other DOE requirements for the functioning of a school.
Courtney quietly, effectively, and efficiently goes about each task. Changing and touching lives each and every day!
Courtney is the best nurse a school could ask for! Even before COVID she was always there for students and staff if needed. Then when COVID hit she stepped up and became the beacon for our school to make sure all kids were safe when here. This year she not only took over the pool testing initiative for the building but she also works with me and the Wellness Team to make sure staff are being cared for as well. She wears many hats and works so hard to make sure she is here for students and staff! Thank you for everything you do Courtney!
Ms. Arcaro is a shining light in our building. During these COVID times, she is up to date on relative information and does a great job of relaying this to staff. She works to support all students and to make sure that we remain safe while keeping as many person here as possible. One thing that she has worked on recently is the food backpack program. We have grown this to help support our middle school students. Currently, we are running this as a food pantry that students can shop for food items, as well as household items, free of cost. She has helped me network this program and is a great resource to others in our community, helping to connect us with likeminded programs. Courtney juggles a pre-k through 8 school with lots of students, and she does it with grace and patience. Thank you for keeping us all safe!
Courtney works hard to meet the needs of our staff and students at SeDoMoCha. She works hard to keep us updated with information and resources to create and maintain a safe working environment. We are lucky to have her here with us!
I could not ask for a better nurse for our school. She goes above and beyond to make sure our school community is safe and healthy. This is not just limited to the pandemic, although that is a 24/7 job all by itself. She took the lead with pooled testing (one of the first schools in the state to get their program up and running) and helped organize several vaccination clinics to help battle the current pandemic. She has helped lead our school's food pantry and backpack programs and provides resources for our students who just need a healthy snack during the day. She has promoted and helped lead many staff wellness opportunities. She truly cares about our community and wants to promote health and wellness whenever and wherever she can. We are so appreciative of all the work she has done and continues to do to keep our school and community safe and healthy. She is very deserving of this recognition.
Courtney is always ready to help our children, and staff no matter how great or small the need is. She greets every person as if she was waiting for that specific person to walk in her office. I think our school is very blessed to have such a caring nurse to watch over all of us! This award couldn’t go to a better person!
Thank you Ms Arcaro! Courtney has been such a comfort during this unsettling COVID time. She has calmed fears, comforted, and cared for not only the students in our school but also the staff and parents. Courtney has given the tests on top of all the other duties expected of a school nurse. She has answered countless questions about health and has eased many fears. She is respectful of each student and their individual situation or medical need. I know that if I have a student in need of any kind she will be an advocate to help them. Our school and community is a better place with Courtney here!
Courtney has been amazing during these years of such uncertainty. She is always a source of knowledge, confidence and calm. She has supported both our students and staff with her kind heart and knowledge. She has juggled a million new duties, along with all her original duties with grace. We love our school nurse and are so proud that she is ours! Thank you, Courtney!
Courtney has been a godsend to my daughter. Not only us she an amazing nurse, but she has been there to help my daughter get through some serious anxiety issues while at school. Courtney allows my daughter to come down to her office at any point that she needa a break. Her support is one of the very few things that helped my daughter get through the school year last year, and I'm so very thankful to have her. My daughter's anxiety causes her to feel sick (upset stomach, headache, etc) thanks to Courtney running the pool testing, my daughter no longer has to miss school due to her anxiety symptoms. Our community is very lucky to have Courtney.
Courtney has been an example of the calm in the storm at school. She is willing to help both students and staff alike with any issue and especially issues related to the pandemic. She has been a resource for information and willing to take the time to explain situations. I am very appreciative of her spearheading the pool testing in our district to try to keep both students and staff safe.
Ms Arcaro is an amazing school nurse ! I have two kids with complex medical needs enrolled in the school and always feel at ease knowing she’s a step away! I’m also so happy with the pool testing and her dedication is unmatched !
