How often have you found yourself in a situation where you needed a form of medical attention? How often could a loved one not provide that assistance? How many of these instances have happened at school? A school nurse is essential to health and accessibility to care. At Arcata High, the charismatic, caring, and adventurous Johnny Kell takes on this role.
Kell started his medical journey as a nurse at Planned Parenthood as a medical assistant. He held this position for five years, then decided to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Kell obtained his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license during his application to a nursing program. He got accepted into nursing school soon after but maintained a part-time job as a Home and Hospital teacher within the district. A Home and Hospital teacher works in homes with students struggling mentally or physically to help them continue their education.
In 2018, the Northern Humboldt Union High School District recruited him to work as the primary nurse. Kell speaks fondly of his time working in Home and Hospital, and having run a youth center at 21. He has a clear passion for working with kids and teens. He said, “ever since I was a teen, I’ve been working with teens.”
With the amount of students Kell works with, he says that it, “is not possible to contain and finish my work,” and “I do what I can with the resources that I have.” He feels that there is more he wants to do, but cannot because of limited time and resources. He can only be in one place at a time and is responsible for the care of both schools.
Kell is the primary and only provider of medical services at both the McKinleyville and Arcata High campuses. His work at Arcata encompasses all of the Arcata, Six Rivers, and Pacific Coast students– almost 1,200 students. He serves an additional 500 students at MHS. Kell is on McKinleyville campus Monday and Tuesday, and the Arcata campus Wednesday through Friday.
Kell’s wife, Alyssa Kell, states that, “The [desired] ratio is around one nurse to 750 students, and his ratio is around double.” This can lead to office personnel and other staff members handling minor medical care or holding students until Kell can reach them. Kell describes driving back and forth between schools in various instances in order to give a student adequate care. Sometimes getting there before the parents.
This, in turn, leads to a delay in the treatment of students, which is a high-stress situation for everyone involved. Parents of students may worry, especially if they are actively aware or told of the student’s need for care. This is amplified if the nurse is not on site. Office personnel are delayed in their primary job, needing to manage a large amount of the school through phone calls, paperwork, etc. These responsibilities are postponed when a student is in need of care. Students feel anxious waiting for treatment. Kell feels that this prevents his ability to fully provide the level of care that he desires to give.
Despite the understaffing, Kell says that he has “a flexibility” that people forget that he has. Being willing and able to move between schools and maintain his passion for his work. He says, “ I don’t blame them for [forgetting] because everybody wants the services I provide.”
Mary Jane Finnegan is a Core support teacher at Arcata High. Core support is a type of special education that works with students with “Individual Education Plans” (IEP’S) and 504’s. These students have learning, mental, or physical disabilities and need extra assistance to attend school. Finnegan cites Kell as an asset for her students, especially those with a physical disability. She says that, “He does much more than a lot of school nurses,” she’s known.
Finnegan says that Johnny is especially helpful if the on-site counselor is busy. She says there are layers in the resources that she provides for students; that Johnny is a fantastic choice for support when other options are exhausted.
She worries sometimes that students may abuse the privilege of going to the nurses office, but that if he is not there the student’s problems “just kinda linger”. Despite this, she adds limitations to ensure that Kell as a resource is not exhausted.
Many staff view Kell as an asset to Arcata High. Regarding attendance at Arcata High, the nurse plays a large role. Not having a nurse always on campus is challenging for students with chronic issues. It can also get in the way of Kell’s attempts to reduce truancy.
Kell knows that, “Sometimes people are like, ‘Well, I’ll leave campus if I can’t see the nurse”. He mentions the necessity for students who live long distances from campus to have somewhere to wait for a parent or guardian to arrive. His office is often filled with students. This is partially due to the concentrated number of individuals on the Arcata campus, which contributes heavily to the accelerated spread of germs.
Having somebody to talk to or a space to decompress is beneficial. The nurse provides hope that a student can return. This creates a certainty in students who are already struggling to reach out for help. He’s dependable when it comes to a student’s safety during both urgent and minor cases.
Students might not feel the same level of comfort with counselors. Scheduling appointments with these resources isn’t always the most ideal option, especially in a time of need. Having Kell available provides a safe space for students who might need immediate care.
“If I could have an impact on retaining those students, we can work together at getting them back to class,” Kell said. Kell improving attendance when on campus provides a sense of security for the staff.
Kell builds relationships with students, which doesn’t go unnoticed. Many speak of him in high regard. People return to his office due to his general demeanor and attitude.
“With Johnny, he’s just like a light in my life,” Senior Gintaras Bright stated.
“Our nurse is amazing,” said Mary Jane Finnegan.
Kell provides a confidential space to communicate feelings and concerns. He has a deep understanding of the links between physical and mental alignment and is a fantastic resource for both.
“You guys are almost adults, you’re still kids, and you need someone to understand that balancing act, to treat you with respect and listen to you,” Kell said.
Nurse Johnny Kell is essential to the environment and operation of Arcata High. An understanding and trusting figure that students can depend on creates this favorable environment. Without Kell, students lose time that could be spent in school, instead dealing with problems at home.
Kell’s skills are in high demand within the school. Having another nurse would increase the quality of care, level of trust, and health of the school. Kell could also do more work to prevent future problems by educating students on safety measures. Arcata High has a vast and expanding student body, as well as a large amount of resources for mental health, so why only one for physical ailments?
Kell was recruited while still in Nursing school because it is a terribly hard position to fill. The position was empty for six months before Kell filled it. This is attributed to not only to the stress of the position but also the lack of meaningful financial compensation. Data from Transparent California, an organization that tracks the salary of different school positions, showed that in 2022 the nurses in the Eureka district had a salary of 85,000. Northern Humboldt district nurses had 67,500. This is alarming considering that our district is the highest paying in the county for teachers.
Kell himself has attended multiple conferences with experts who use peer-reviewed data that state school nurses are a key factor in maintaining attendance at any school. There are only six school nurses in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
In a Times Standard article called “Teachers’ union calls out Humboldt County school nursing shortage” by Shomik Mukherjee; Lathe Gill is quoted saying, “It’s pretty difficult to get people to take these jobs because with a nursing degree you can make better money to do something else.” The district currently says they do not have the funding for another school nurse, but Kell believes that another school nurse could pay for itself with the increased attendance.
The entire district would benefit from more Jhonnies.
“Get active, stay active and keep searching!” – Johnny Kell
