McKenzie French

Feeling sick? It’s that time of year when many viruses, such as the flu, are spreading around. A simple cough, sore throat, headache or even muscle aches could be the first signs of the nasty flu or strep throat. Here at PCA, both Mrs. Janet Ludgar, Lower School nurse and Mrs. Nicole Hall, Upper School nurse, are working hard to help all students and parents prevent the flu and other viruses.
According to Nurse Janet at the Lower School, “We are working on teaching younger and older kids the value of hand washing and coughing correctly, such as coughing in your arm or into a napkin.”
The yearly flu comes around and has been knocking students off their feet for a week at a time. According to multiple medical sources, a student is contagious with the flu the day before they contract it until seven days after being diagnosed. However, in younger children it can last even longer.
It is believed that these germs are being spread through touching door knobs, sharing pencils, and using inappropriate cough etiquette, among other ways of spreading germs. When Lower School students visit the nurse’s office with a headache, a common first symptom of the flu, Nurse Janet immediately checks their temperature to make sure they do not have a fever. If students visit with a cough or any other symptoms related to the flu or another virus, parents are immediately called, and the student is sent home to recover.
The Upper School Nurse, Mrs. Nicole Hall, highly encourages hand washing and demonstrates the correct ways of coughing to students. Nurse Hall said, “Hand sanitizer has been distributed in every class, and students are warned to stay home and go to the doctor to check their symptoms if they are running a fever or are feeling any symptoms related to the flu.”
Teachers are encouraged to keep their own desks as well as the students’ desks clean using Clorox wipes and to encourage lots of handwashing as well. Mrs. Kim Stidham, Upper School Speech and Debate teacher, said, “I have been using Clorox wipes twice a day on the students’ desks, and personally been taking Vitamin C.”
Many students are learning the hard way that the flu is not something to mess around with! So, if you are feeling tired, have a sore throat or a headache, it would probably be best to get checked out and wash your hands so you aren’t contaminating others around you.