Students have been missing school lately due to a recent spread of illness. Mrs. Tonya Oehler, the high school nurse, shares some tips on how to stay healthy and happy. 

 When a kid comes into the clinic, nurse Tonya asks them several questions depending on what their symptoms are. 

“I ask questions like ‘did you eat today’, ‘did you get enough sleep last night’, those types of questions,” nurse Tonya said. “I usually always take their temperature even if they are only complaining about a headache.” 

She strives to make sure every kid is comfortable and feeling their best before going back to class.

“I love taking care of you guys,” nurse Tonya said.

Nurse Tonya believes a big reason for the recent spread is improper hand washing.

“We don’t realize how much we touch our face every day, like our eyes and our mouth,” nurse Tonya said.

On average, students touch their faces about 23 times an hour. On average, there are about 1,000 germs on the face and 3,200 different germs on the hands alone. Viruses can make their way into the body through the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

Nurse Tonya wants to remind people that proper hand washing includes turning the sink off with a paper towel and completely drying their hands. Nurse Tonya recommends not sharing food or drinks with others and keeping your distance from people who are sick. If you are sick, nurse Tonya suggests staying home and away from people who are already compromised in some way like the elderly, babies, and anyone who has health comorbidities. 

Amelia Harris, a freshman, was recently out for four days. She was overwhelmed with the amount of missing work she received when she came back. 

“I had plenty of missing assignments and it was stressful to see those in Progress[Book],” Amelia said. 

From doing tests in EdgeTime to math assignments on the weekends, Amelia finally got all her missing work done. In total, it took her three days to finish everything. Amelia has some ideas about what precautions she can take to prevent getting sick.

“Washing my hands more frequently, using [hand] sanitizer, and just being aware of who is sick around me,” Amelia said.