Chester High School welcomes full-time nurse
For many years Chester Unit District 139 had one nurse, who shared her time between Chester Grade School and the high school. With more students and more actual demand at the elementary level, the nurse was housed at the grade school.
No more. This year Chester High School has its own full-time nurse and she has a nice office on the third floor, with a filled goody basket for whoever stops in.
Her name is Jamie Brockmeyer and she is happy to be at CHS.
Brockmeyer was born in 1985 in Pinckneyville, to Lisa Cronin and Leroy Ruch. She went to Trico Elementary School and Tilden Attendance Center, where she graduated from 8th grade in 2000. At Sparta High School she played volleyball and softball for the Lady Bulldogs, and graduated in 2004.
Brockmeyer studied Medical Assisting at Sanford-Brown College, after which she started working at Sparta Hospital. At the same time, she went to Beck Career Center in Red Bud to get a degree in licensed practical nursing. She completed that in 2012.
She worked at Sparta Hospital from 2009-2016 and then at the Chester Mental Health Center. In 2018 Brockmeyer joined Red Bud Hospital, and in fall 2020 she was hired as the nurse at CHS.
Jamie Brockmeyer makes her home in Schuline, where she lives with her husband of 20 years, Jeremy, and their two children, Kamdyn, 13, and Kynlea, 8, who attend the Evansville Attendance Center.
In her spare time, Jamie loves hunting, fishing and camping with her family. She loves animals and has chickens, cows, dogs, two cats and a bearded dragon named Twiggy.
Being at Chester High School is "amazing," Brockmeyer says.
"I love helping people," she added. "I am a people person. The students here are wonderful and I love helping them. When I see them on the streets they always say hi and I enjoy their kindness."
Nurse Brockmeyer has an open-door policy, and welcomes students who need medical treatment or who want to frankly discuss problems and life issues. And then there are those who stop in to say hi, and sample the goody basket.
"I hope to stay here at CHS for a long time and love the way everyone here is friendly, welcoming and nice," Brockmeyer said. "This is a great job and the atmosphere is fantastic!"