RSU 39 schools create gifts for Cary/Pines nurses

3 years ago

CARIBOU, Maine — In celebration of National Nurses Week, which was May 6-12, staff and students from RSU 39 decided to honor Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services nurses with a gift. 

Using technology at the school, they designed an image featuring a Viking — in honor of the school’s mascot — and added it to a badge clip for the nurses to use. 

On May 10, Caribou High School Principal Dr. Eric McGough and Caribou Community School Principal Leland Caron stopped by the hospital to present the gifts to Cary & Pines CEO, Kris Doody, RN, and a few of the hospital’s nursing staff.

Chelsey Szabo, RN (left), and Jennifer Plante, RN, model their new badge clips made by RSU 39 staff and students. (Courtesy of Cary Medical Center)

“We are so thankful for the collaboration and partnership of our local healthcare providers throughout this pandemic. These badge clips are just a small token of our appreciation,” McGough said during the gift presentation. 

“Your support has been essential in helping us navigate this time as we’ve worked together to keep our staff and students safe,” Caron added.

To demonstrate how technology can be used in a myriad of industries and the important role that creative skills play in the workforce, visual arts teacher Jessica Goodwin and Jobs for Maine’s Graduates instructor Dr. Valerie Ann Waldemarson used digital media and technology to develop and cut the wood pieces. They then worked collaboratively to assemble the badge holders. 

In addition to learning how technology could help students give back within their local community, the project emphasized the importance of having some technological skills under their belt, a prevalent theme in both the visual arts and JMG programs. 

Working collaboratively, RSU 39 staff and students designed and manufactured these badge clips, which they presented to nurses at Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services. They are making more for additional staff.
(Courtesy of Cary Medical Center)

Receiving the gifts on behalf of the hospital in addition to Doody were Jen Plante, RN, maternal-child primary charge nurse, and Chelsey Szabo, RN, outpatient nurse manager. 

The badge clips were distributed to nursing staff at both organizations in celebration of National Nurses Week, but more are being made for additional hospital and health center staff.