Warrior Watch’s Staff Member(s) of the Month of March are Bethany Briskar and Amasa Gilingham. Bethany and Amasa are the members of our West Branch Nursing Staff. Warrior Watch would like to recognize the nurses’ hard work this year and years past.
School Nurse, Bethany Briskar, is an alumnus of West Branch Area School District Class of 2000. In high school, Bethany participated in several extracurricular activities such as Student Government, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Track and Field, and holding the title of her Class Secretary. After high school, she continued her journey by attending Penn State University for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Post-college graduation in 2004, Bethany worked at multiple locations as a Registered Nurse before receiving a school nurse certification at Slippery Rock. She then began working at West Branch in 2009 and has been here ever since.
Our School Nurse Assistant, Amasa Gilingham, attended and graduated from Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School in 2016. She was a member of the Helping Hands Club and FCCLA. After high school, she completed an Associate Degree of Science in Nursing at Lock Haven University in 2019. Amasa qualified for School Nurse Assistant and started at West Branch in November of that year. She continues to study online at LHU to receive a Bachelor’s degree in May of this year. Amasa hopes to take her skills and knowledge to the next level by attending grad school for a PhD.
The School Nurses often go underappreciated. They had to spend several years preparing and studying to become nurses. Each of them works over seven hours per day, five days a week, during the regular school year. Being a school nurse means that they must be ready for something as little as a loose tooth to a broken arm. Their job can come with a lot of anxiety when taking care of sick or injured students in need.
Many of the students and staff shared their appreciation for the Nurses:
Savannah Hoover explains the time she had a severe allergic reaction in school: “The nurses were quick to take care of me and call my mom. They are always very helpful.”
Sarah Betts says, “I think they’re very helpful and they put themselves more at risk by coming into contact with the students who do not feel well. The nurses keep our school safe by making sure everyone’s temperature is below a certain point.”
Mrs. McGonigal exclaims, “I appreciate the nurses because they have been quick to respond on multiple occasions when students were in need of assistance. As an anatomy teacher, I always appreciate their medical knowledge and professionalism.”
Warrior Watch gives great thanks and appreciation to Bethany and Amasa for their dedication over the years. West Branch couldn’t do it without them. Congratulations to the Nurses for Staff Members of the Month of March!
