At the heart of student life, the WPHS nurses serve as our foundation, supporting everyone from tired athletes to overworked students and guarding our health in every way, from the small sips of water between classes to checking for colds and allowing students to rest.
Nurse Day, on May 12, is an opportunity for nurses, the backbone of our school—and our society—to be recognized for the quiet, often overlooked work they do.
“Some kids have allergies, some kids have more serious medical issues that we focus on,” Nurse Gjokaj said. “And some kids come for a mental health break—we’ve seen a lot of that over the last couple of years.”
For the school nurses, work begins at 7:30 a.m. sharp, with students already “knocking on the door,” coming in and out until the final bell chimes.
Demand comes with its challenges—some students come in “truly sick,” but others simply want to “get out of class.”
“And we let them rest,” Nurse Gjokaj said. “Otherwise, the nurses pretty much know what to do.”
While nursing takes hard work and “intuition,” its rewards are great.
“There’s always going to be a need for nurses,” Nurse Gjojak said. “It’s not one of those careers that AI will take over. I think that bedside nursing—or any kind of nursing—there’s always going to be a need for it, so you’ll always have a job.”
But the gratification of nursing also comes in the small things.
“My favorite part about being a nurse is making a difference. We love working here.”
For WPHS students, many share warm memories of the nurses’ office.
“The nurses are always there for you,” WPHS sophomore Emilie Roldan said. “Whether it’s a stomach ache, a drink of water or just needing some sleep.”
“Even when I was at the hospital…it worked for me when I needed it,” Nurse Corradina said. “And I like it—I do like it. And there are so many options: psych nursing, emergency, pediatric or geriatric.”
The nurses did not always work at WPHS.
Nurse Gjokaj has been working in pediatrics for 30 years. Of her 12 years working in school nursing, she has worked six at White Plains High School.
“I would say it’s one of the best careers for a woman,” she said. “This is my end-of-the-career job—and I think that’s true for all of us.”
Nurse Corradina began her work 33 years ago. In 2001, she started nursing in schools, working between shifts as an emergency service nurse to “make up the differences in salary.”
“But now, after doing it for this many years, I don’t have to do that,” she added. “I worked in the hospital—then, when I was able to get into the school, it was great because I had children. It worked with their schedule and my schedule.”
Before joining the school system, Nurse Colleen spent 25 years in nursing, including significant time in children’s hospitals such as Blythedale in Valhalla.
The now-retired Nurse Repetti began working in nursing at eighteen years old. “It was kind of different back then,” she said.
“When we were kids, they had a BOCES program for LDM,” Nurse Gjokaj added.
Nurse Repetti worked at White Plains High School for 22 years before retiring. “It’s wonderful to come in here,” she said. “I get to see my friends, I get to see students—it makes me very happy.”
Overall, Nurse Day reminds us that the nurses at our school appreciate every “thank you” they hear throughout the school day.
