Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Celebrates National Nurses Week with School Nursing Award Recipients

CHICAGO—Chicago Public Schools (CPS) celebrates National Nurses Week by collaborating with District partners to celebrate the contributions and achievements of the District’s nearly 600 dedicated school nurses. Beginning Monday, May 6 and ending Sunday, May 12, National Nurses Week annually commemorates the nursing profession through events, awareness and awards. One of the ways CPS honors the achievements of school nurses is to recognize their accomplishments within school communities via the ROSE and DAISY awards, respectively. The awards were distributed during a ceremony Wednesday at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy.

The awards were given to school nurses who have gone above and beyond in their schools by building strong relationships and providing excellent nursing care.

“Our nurses provide critical medical services to our school communities. It’s important we take this moment today and everyday to recognize their many contributions, ,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Their expertise is a key component in how the District approaches health awareness when distributing information to parents and students. The nurses are on the frontlines within our schools when a medical incident occurs and they support our students’ long-term health and well being.”

The ROSE award (Recognition of Service Extraordinaire) was established at Chicago Public Schools for nurses in 2022. It provides an opportunity for nurses working at District schools to be recognized for achieving outstanding service.

The DAISY (Disease Attacking the Immune System) Award, which is given to nurses who have exhibited exemplary services, was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died from an auto-immune disease. This will be the first time the DAISY Foundation has partnered with an institution to recognize school nursing.

ROSE Award recipients:

Tamara Castro, LPN, Mary Lyon School

Sarah McFadden, RN, Marcus Garvey Elementary School

DAISY Award recipients:

Diana Boras, RN, Edward Alexander Bouchet International School

Sydney Holladay, RN, Cooper Dual Language Academy

Catherine Lehner RN, John C. Coonley Elementary

Lindsay Martin, RN, James B. Farnsworth Elementary School

Alisha Morris, LPN, South Shore Fine Arts Academy

Naima Nguvu McDermott, RN, North-Grand High School

Along with dedicated teachers, school nurses are key to the District’s mission of educating the whole child by providing support to students when needed. Over the last five years, the District’s nursing staff numbers have grown considerably.

“Our nursing staff members often provide key feedback regarding how the District tackles larger health issues, along with day-to-day concerns,” said CPS Chief Health Officer Sofia Adawy Akintunde. “Our staffing numbers regarding nursing professionals continue to rise to meet the needs of our school communities. We thank all our nurses and especially congratulate this year’s award winners.”

About Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is dedicated to providing a high-quality education to all students, beginning with the District’s free full-day preschool programming for four-year-old scholars and continuing through neighborhood, magnet and selective-enrollment elementary schools that provide a rigorous K-8 education with schools that specialize in the fine arts, world language and culture, dual language, STEM, International Baccalaureate (IB), classical programs, and more. The rising District-wide freshmen-on-track and high school graduation rates reflect the hard work of the CPS community, including families, staff, and students across 635 schools. CPS celebrates the diversity of its more than 323,000 students who cite 182 home languages. Learn more about CPS at www.cps.edu and connect with CPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.