Mrs. Jacqueline Harrell, Trinity’s school nurse, has been in the world of Trinity for a long time. From being the daughter of one of Trinity’s former school guards to having a son attend Trinity, she has been a part of the Trinity community for a majority of her lifetime. Without Harrell, Trinity would have a very different feeling, especially considering her involvement in our drug testing program, student affairs team, and her nursing role overall.
Before Harrell began at Trinity, her son, Nicholas ’21, allowed her to get a more in-depth view of what the school has to offer. Soon after, Harrell began at Trinity in the 2018-2019 school year following the former nurses, Ms. Roth and Ms. Pennington, job-sharing in student affairs. In her position, she is involved in more than just nursing responsibilities. She spearheads the drug testing program by generating the random student lists and scheduling the tests themselves. If you have ever had a drug test, you have already been impacted by the work that she does. In addition, Harrell has already begun the process of handing over one of the most crucial parts of the drug testing program to another nurse, Ms. Taylor.
Outside of the drug testing program, Harrell “takes care of any accommodations that any student might need for either an acute injury or illness or a more chronic injury or illness.” The scope of Harrell’s work is seen even through the paperwork for each student, specifically in the school’s immunization records. But above all else, Harrell’s favorite thing about her job is the education she can do. “I like talking with the students and explaining things of how illness processes and disease processes work and how injuries affect their body and kind of educating on that and especially like medications and things like that.” A teacher at heart, Harrell values the importance of passing along information that could be critical to a student’s health and well-being.
Outside of Trinity, Harrell is an avid card player and sociable person. She believes in the power of stories, which is mostly why she prefers some of the longer card games like Phase 10 or Hand and Foot. Harrell loves having the time to socialize, joke, and tell stories over these card games that provide ample time to talk.
At the end of the day, Harrell plays a significant role in the day-to-day operation of our school and many of its programs. From helping students with medical concerns, running our drug-testing program, and completing many administrative tasks, she plays an important role for most of the student body. I speak for Trinity when I say that we are lucky to have someone with the talent and experience of Ms. Harrell.
