“Hello there. How are you doing?” This is how Nurse Brid Wardlow greeted a slightly hurt first grader as she entered the nurse’s office looking for a band aid. Wardlow has joined the Parker community to work alongside twenty-eight-year veteran Parker nurse Anne Nelson. Nelson works from 8am to 3pm, and Wardlow will be working from 12pm to 6pm each school day.

Wardlow grew up in Ireland and moved to London and then New York before settling in Chicago to raise her two daughters, who are now fifteen and twenty years old. Wardlow holds a Bachelor’s in Science from the University of St. Francis, and more recently, a Master’s in Child Development from Erikson Institute.

Tired of working with mostly adults, Wardlow really wanted to work with kids each day. “I love working with kids of all ages,” Wardlow said. “I think that is why I went back to school to get a Master’s in Child Development. Nursing in schools is less about just the physical, but the social and emotional is such a huge thing for me.“

Parker’s Director of Human Resources, Laureen Sweers, helped Nelson find Wardlow. The hiring process for the nurse who was the right fit took almost three years, and after spending the first two months of the 2016-2017 school year training 27 agency nurses to work after school hours, Nelson realized that she needed a second nurse for this school year. Nelson spoke about how much harder this made her job— she spent more hours at school than ever and was not happy.

Many of the nurses she trained were quite nice, Nelson said, but none was able to work every day, which made her job much harder. Nelson is appreciative of the addition of Wardlow. “I am extremely grateful that everyone came together and did this this year,” she said. “It has been a very nice transition.”

Before getting her Master’s, Wardlow worked as an ICU nurse. “It is hard,” she said. “It is hard emotionally, but you have to have a lot of self care. I did that for about 14 years, and I knew I was done.” Prior to Parker, Wardlow was a school nurse for K through 8th graders at Cass School District 66 in Downers Grove, Illinois. 

“One of the reasons that I chose Parker is because I really like working with kids of many different ages,” Wardlow said. “I also like the progressive education that the school offers. I really believe in that.”

Nelson has been happy having Wardlow by her side. Over the years, she said, her work has just been getting busier and busier, and she is happy to have help during the crazier times. “It is so wonderful to have another person who does what I do in my office, especially now, when it is pretty busy,” Nelson said. “She is super compassionate, friendly, great with kids of all ages, and a very nice person who has fit in very well in the Parker community.”

Olivia Lansburgh, a freshman who has been helped by Wardlow, agrees. “She is so nice–I love her,” Lansburgh said. “Today when I went in with a bad headache, she was super caring and helpful. I love Nurse Anne, but it is so great to have a fresh face helping her too!”

Sixth grader Caroline Polsky feels the same way. “She is so nice,” Polsky said, “and she brings a new energy and opinion to the nurse’s office.” When Wardlow is not at Parker, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters, and reading her elder daughter’s writing that can be found in the Hollywood Reporter.

“I am looking forward to getting to know the community’s children, teenagers, and teachers,” Wardlow said. “I love seeing the students develop and change.”