Newtown Nurse Looks to Become ‘America’s Greatest School Nurse’

What kind of qualities does it take to be the best school nurse in the United States?

Maddy Allen is the school nurse at Newtown's Head O'Meadow Elementary School, and was chosen as the finalist in the America's Greatest School Nurse contest from all the online entries submitted. Each contestant was also judged in a number of categories.

According to the Danbury Daily Voice, the following are just some of the direct comments about Maddy from online entries:

Always being available to tend to a scraped knee, chapped lips, and a broken heart.

Another online submission stated:

Following a major school tragedy , Maddy's professionalism and compassion were evident even as her caseload greatly increased.

On a personal note, I've had experiences with school nurses when my kids were growing up and in school, specifically at Meeting House Hill School in New Fairfield. When my daughter was a student at MHHS, she was a regular visitor to the nurse's office. I'll always remember how Karen the nurse treated my daughter. She was compassionate and understanding, even when Allie wasn't really sick, but just needed someone to talk with. By the way, my daughter is now a nurse in Bristol, CT. Karen was able to treat both visible and invisible wounds which earned her the respect from both the students and faculty.

To vote for Maddy Allen, click on AmericasGreatestSchoolNurse.com., and keep in mind that voting ends this Sunday, April 16.