By Dr. Ferrell Miller
Nancy Dettmer, was the recipient of the JC Breakfast Optimist Club’s quarterly award for Making A Difference For Youth during the April 20th meeting. The JC Breakfast Optimist Club’s Making A Difference For Youth Award is presented to an individual who is: respectful to themselves and others in words and actions; is a person of integrity and is respected by others; is enthusiastic about the success of youth and strives to help them be successful, and has demonstrated volunteer work that makes a difference in youth as a priority.
Nancy coordinates food bags for students who needed extra food during COVID and now during the weekends, on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other breaks when school is not in session. She has worked with Wheels of Hope for the past five years to get the food, receive donations from others and then delivers the bags of food to the student’s residence. She told club members that “on one delivery day the temperature was below freezing and the trailer where a student and family lived had no door on the trailer, but only a sheet.” She then called a contact of hers, got a piece of plywood and put it up to cover the entry to the trailer, to add some warmth to the family inside. Nancy was surprised when her parents, Larry and Sandy Dettmer and co-worker Susan Pender were included at the meeting.
Nancy shared information about her work with the Health Science pathway at is the sponsor of the Health Occupations Student Association (HOSA). She teaches health science classes with a focus on learning about the medical profession. Students learn about medical surgery; anesthesiology; labor and deliver; physical therapy; infection control; dentistry and more. Her students in HOSA, have competed in state, national and international competitions with other high school students who take written tests and debate health related topics. There are as many as 58 different events in which students may compete. This year the competition will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.
A colleague shared that Nancy is the founding “mother” of the Health Science pathway at JCHS. What started as one classroom of students in the first year has matured into a collection of students that have gone on to study and practice nursing, physical therapy, be a physician’s assistant, dentistry, and medical school. All these students can directly relate their success to the beginning with Miss Dettmer’s classes and the HOSA Club.