This week, we’re celebrating the dedicated teachers and nurses who support CPSD students by featuring Elizabeth Barr, nurse at Tillicum and Four Heroes elementary schools, Beachwood Elementary School first grade teacher Elizabeth Hanley and Lochburn Middle School band teacher Bryce Stillman.

After working as a registered nurse (RN) for more than 15 years, Barr chose to join CPSD as a school nurse when her child began middle school to align her schedule more closely with her kids’. “It’s a lot different working for a school because there’s not a team of nurses and doctors around you,” she said. “But I love it. I love working in my own community and getting to see the students I work with at the park or Tillicum Community Center.”

Barr supports the health needs of K-5 students at Tillicum and Four Heroes by caring for them when they are sick, ensuring they receive their prescription medications and ensuring individualized action plans are followed. “Being a nurse means you’re supporting someone at a time where they are vulnerable, hurt or scared, and I don’t take that lightly,” she said. “Being the person in the moment to give someone hope, an ear to listen to or knowledge about their health is immensely rewarding.”

Barr is proud of the connections she’s built with students and families and wants to continue being an advocate for student health. For Certificated Staff Week, she’s grateful to celebrate her fellow CPSD nurses who work as a team to help students across the district as well as other CPSD staff. “Knowing you can rely on your teammates, teachers, paraeducators, administrators and everyone else who works together to support students is the best part of being on this big team,” she said. 

Hanley is a military spouse and worked at Beachwood from 2013 to 2017 before her family changed stations to Indiana. They moved back in 2020, and she was eager to rejoin the Beachwood team. “I love the community here,” she said. “It has always felt like an extension of home, and I want our families to feel that way as well.”

Hanley gives each of her students a job in her classroom to build their sense of teamwork and responsibility. “They love helping me, and I love building relationships with each of them,” she said. “I’m so proud of the little community we’ve built in this classroom.”

Hanley also values building strong teacher-parent partnerships and includes important discussion topics in her weekly newsletter to families about what her students learned in class throughout the week. “Instead of asking, ‘What did you learn today?’ I’ll provide book titles or send videos of things that we’ve watched so parents feel confident in what their kids are learning and have the knowledge to hold more in-depth discussions with them,” she said. “Their education is truly a partnership.”

Above all, Hanley is proud to work alongside families to create future changemakers. “We are entrusted with other people’s children and it’s a huge responsibility I do not take lightly,” she said. “I value education, civic engagement and teaching students how to live in a community whether it’s a classroom, school or town, so it’s exciting to develop that alongside parents.”

Stillman joined Lochburn in the 2018-19 school year after teaching elementary music and band for many years. He learned how to play the trumpet when he was in school and now teaches his students how to play brass, woodwind and percussive instruments. “I get to see these kids grow from little sixth graders to eighth graders and see how much progress they make as musicians,” he said. “Once they get to advanced band in eighth grade, the level of attention they give, their enjoyment of music and their desire to show what they can do is what I love about this job.”

Stillman played a major role in organizing the district band festival this year, which brought together band students from each CPSD middle and high school. “The fact that the festival went really well was such a proud moment for me,” he said. “It was amazing seeing all those students play together and share their passion for music.”

As an educator and spouse of a nurse, Stillman wants to celebrate the dedication of his fellow certificated staff. “We’re not in it for fame or glory but for the impact we make on students,” he said. “The selflessness that I see my fellow coworkers bring to their jobs by giving their time, effort and energy is so fulfilling.”

Thank you certificated staff!