Date: Fri 13-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

health-school-nurse-Stempel

Full Text:

Jean Stempel, Longtime School Nurse, Is Retiring

(with photo)

BY DOROTHY EVANS

After 35 years of feeling foreheads, taking temperatures and putting on

Band-Aids for nearly two generations of Newtown children, Sandy Hook School

Nurse Jean Stempel is retiring.

During her many years in the Newtown schools, Mrs Stempel has split her

responsibilities by working in several different elementary schools at once,

including Hawley, St. Rose and the middle school.

But she has always maintained what she calls a "home base" at Sandy Hook, and

it is from that office, where she has been full-time school nurse since 1988,

that she will retire the end of this week.

Mrs Stempel says she is ready for a little rest and relaxation and is looking

forward to a cruise through the Panama Canal this autumn.

But she knows she can't leave without first enjoying a resounding round of

appreciative Thank Yous and Best Wishes from the many teachers, parents and

children who have known her over three and a half decades.

Acting on behalf of the town, First Selectman Robert Cascella has directed

that the flag at Edmond Town Hall be flown in Mrs Stempel's honor this Friday.

Change In Responsibilities

Over the years, she's seen a lot of change.

"The added responsibilities of the nurse's role today are considerable," she

said in an interview in her Sandy Hook office Tuesday morning.

She mentioned the impact that mainstreaming children with disabilities has had

on her practice, as well as the demands of an increased population of children

in each elementary school.

She worries that these demands, common as they are to many area school

systems, have contributed to a "nearly unsafe practice."

To remedy this, Mrs Stempel has remained very active in the State Nursing

Association, trying to address the need for schools in all districts to hire

more nurses.

"Now a single nurse might be responsible for up to 650 children" in one

building, she said.

In Newtown, as in most area towns, there are financial constraints that often

prevent hiring more staff as needed.

Then there's the ever-increasing load of paperwork required by the state, for

records of immunizations.

"We used to only worry that they'd gotten the smallpox vaccine. Now that's not

even given anymore," she said.

The Dreaded Hypodermic Gun

Another "innovation" Mrs Stempel remembers from past days is the automatic

hypodermic gun that delivered rubella measles shots to Newtown children in

1970.

It was so "efficient" she said, that 500 children could be vaccinated in an

hour - or nine every minute.

"They didn't like that very much. We soon went back to the traditional

needles," Mrs Stempel said.

Soon, however, Mrs Stempel will not need to worry about paperwork or shots or

whatever flu is going around this year. She admitted that prospect had a

welcome aspect.

"Lately, I find myself thinking, `Next year, I won't have to do that!'" Mrs

Stemple said, as the interview was cut short because a young patient had come

in needing help.

"What's wrong, Joey?" she asked.

"My teacher says I should have something to put on this scrape," the boy said

pointing to his knee, and Mrs Stempel hastened to examine the wound.

She'd known his name without even asking.