Grade 7 and 8 students at Gregory Drive public school wanted to show their appreciation for the nurses at Chatham-Kent’s hospital group for their efforts during COVID-19.
The class at the Chatham school recently made a presentation with a Bristol board quilt, which featured artwork and words of encouragement.
Teacher Markus Schoger said his class strives to be community-minded, adding the timing made sense given it was International Nurses Day.
“From the beginning, the nurses have been such an amazing force to keep us safe,” he said, “and we also understand how much stress and difficulty it must have been to carry on with their job.”
Schoger asked his students to come up with a few ideas, and they decided on a quilt, as well as a radio spot.
He said he was pleased with how everything turned out.
“I’m always impressed by their talents,” he said. “No matter what I bring to them, they just knock it out of the park.”
Ryan Millington, 14, said nurses demonstrated their resilience during the pandemic, particularly in its early days.
“We feel during COVID they needed some very positive light,” he said. “They were strong enough to push through.”
Lori Marshall, the president and CEO of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, said the staff appreciated the show of support, noting it’s especially heart-warming coming from the community’s youth.
“This is just so moving,” she said. “Our nurses and all of our staff at (the hospital) have just worked so tirelessly the last few years.”