Chamisa Elementary School Nurse Michele Wright. Photo Courtesy LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Chamisa Elementary School nurse Michele Wright has been selected as The New Mexico School Nurses Association (NMSNA) School Nurse of the Year. She was recognized during the Awards Ceremony during the recent NMSNA annual conference in Las Cruces.
In an email from Mandy Ross, the NMSNA awards chairperson, Ms. Wright was selected for this honor “through the evidence of your dedication to the health and wellness of New Mexico’s school children.” She also commended Ms. Wright’s high standards of care and professionalism.
“I am honored to be named New Mexico School Nurse of the Year,” said Ms. Wright. “Los Alamos Public School District is fortunate to have a full-time nurse in every school. We have a great nursing team that really cares for our students, families, and staffmembers.”
“Los Alamos recognizes that the role of the school nurse goes way beyond applying bandages and handing out ice packs,” she continued. “We handle emergencies, deal with chronic medical
issues, and support students by being a part of various school teams, like the Care Team, Student Assistant Team, and even the Safety Team. We consistently advocate for our students,
by developing Nursing Care, and 504 Plans to address student needs. I consider myself
fortunate to come to school daily to do what I love, and to be surrounded by supportive and
dedicated colleagues, all working towards the same goal.”
Ms. Wright was nominated for this award by Chamisa Elementary School Principal Craig
Washnok. “Michele Wright has been the school nurse at Chamisa Elementary for 18 years,” he said. “She is a dedicated professional. Her RN background has been essential in taking care of our school. Ms. Wright is also the school Safety Director. She creates meetings of all stakeholders, and makes sure that safety plans are followed at Chamisa. Ms. Wright is the architect of the current school safety plan at Chamisa. She has given a lot of time to making sure our safety plan meets NMPED criteria.”
In his nomination, Principal Washnok wrote, “Michele creates new ideas to keep students safe around our school. Her dedication to her students and community are second to none. The relationship that Michele makes with parents is incredible. She has a knack for making them feel comfortable and relaxed when speaking to them, especially during any emergency. Ms. Wright makes my job as principal easier due to her professional work ethic and dedication to staff, students, and the community”.
“Ms. Wright is in constant contact with families when illness affects absences. Her initiatives with absence rates have created a reduction of absenteeism at Chamisa. During the 4th quarter of 2022-2023, Ms. Wright helped reduce the number of absences. Before March 1 2023, Chamisa had 73% of its students missing more than 5% of the school year. Ms. Wright, along with administration, put forth a campaign to get students into school. She worked with staff, students, and families to help get students into school who may be at risk. As the nurse, she personally spoke with parents, gave them protocols/checklists for signs of illness, and educated them on when to keep their students home from school. Our 4th quarter attendance rates went
down to having less than 4% of all students miss school each week. Chamisa ended with a 4th quarter attendance rate of 96% present. Ms. Wright was a part of that success, and continues to work directly with families on illness, attendance, and academics through absence due to
medical illness. She continues this practice into the 2023-2024 school year.
“There are not many school nurses dedicated to their profession as Michele Wright. I have
worked with many school nurses in my 30 years as an educator. Nurse Wright has educated
me as to what a model school nurse does each and every day. I am amazed each and every
day of how much she gives to our school. Michele Wright is a testament to our motto at
Chamisa: Teamwork, Family, Community.”
Ms. Wright has been a nurse for 31 years, and has been with Chamisa Elementary School for 18
years.